The Fox
by blood splatter queen
Summary: Tomoe lives her life day to day. There is no set in stone plan other than to pass on her wisdom of the world to the human children. She never thought of herself as a protector of human children like some villages do until she met Rin...
1. Chapter 1

She was not a demon like most humans said nor a spirit others have prayed to. She was just a simple fox. There was no need to fear her. No need to praise her. She was just a human fox who loved to howl at the moon, feel the breeze on her bare skin as she ran without the restriction of clothes, and hunt children. She was not a normal fox, she knew that from the start, but the pain of losing her pups to none other than filthy humans was heart wrenching. She knew she was not a normal fox when she set out for revenge. Normal foxes would've left, found a new den and start over, but she could not start over when her mate was also dead.

Once a month - when the moon is full - she is sent out hunting to the closest village during her travels and would take a child from their bed. She has no intention of hurting the children she takes. Only to take care of them. Only to teach them that not all foxes are evil. That she was nothing to be afraid of or to be praised for. She wanted to teach them everything she knew about the earth from the seven-hundred and forty-nine years she spent it.

It was night, the sky dark but the moon was all the light she needed to see. She did not care if humans hated her appearances and she did not care if they were disgusted that she did not wear clothes. She was an animal and she was free. And she needed them to know the wrong they did did to her fifty years ago.

Creeping into the village, she kept to the shadows as she crouched on all fours and started peering into cracks in home walls. Trying to find the perfect pup - or human child - to teach so they could pass down her knowledge to their children and their children's children. No one was awake this night, but the rumors about her rain have spread all throughout futile Japan and everyone was always cautious on the first full moon of every month. Sometimes, if she already had a child, she would howl at the moon just to see their reaction when they scramble to see who was missing this time but she always relished in the love the children received from their parents when they find out it wasn't them who was taken.

But this time, she did not have a child. The one she was teaching had fallen ill and was too weak to carry on living the life she wanted for them. She had to put it out of its suffering herself and barry the bones herself. If a pup does not live up to a foxes standards or is too weak to live, the mother herself must kill it and eat it so it's soul would not be trapped in its body. And that is exactly what she had to do with the last three children she took possession of. She hated doing it, but it pained her to think that their soul could be trapped with their decaying bodies. Never being able to go to heaven.

As she leaped onto a roof of a hut she was light enough not to crack the wood or make a simple noise to give away her position. She walked on the roof on all fours, smelling the air before smelling through the wood she was crouching on. Once she caught a faint whiff of the child who lives in this home she started to remove the wood plank from the roof of the home and jumped down into the home, making no sound. She followed her nose and entered a separate room to find the child was sleeping with his parents. He couldn't be no older than four, five at the max. His parents were smart to not let him sleep alone, but their attempt to hid their child was feeble. The child was outside of the covers, being wrapped in his own blanket tightly so he wouldn't move in his sleep. This just made her job easier.

She neared the boy, a small smile on her soft features, but then she froze when she smelt the air. There was a demon here. Somewhere towards the west. She had been to this village before and had never caught the scent of this particular demon before. The humans must've made a deal with him to help protect the village from this very intruder.

She looked back down at the boy, no longer smiling, as she stepped over the mother, grabbed the child carefully as to not wake him up and then jumped through the hole she came through. She faced the child away from her and bit the part of the blanket that was wrapped around his neck then started to run. Not making a single sound until she got the the edge of the forest she came from. She took the now waking child from her mouth, held him high in the air to bring him closer to the full moon then howled as loud as she could. Waking up everyone on in the village. The child, just like the others, was too young to realize what was happening and so stayed quiet as she howled at the moon. Villagers rushed out to find the human fox on the hill outside of the village. The silhouette of her fox ears on top of her head, her bushy fox tail and naked form was enough to stun them for a moment. Causing them to bask in the moment of her long drawn howl. Even the demon that was supposed to protect this child was staring at her in shock more than anything else.

Once she was done howling at the moon she bit onto the child's blanket and started running. It was only natural for a fox to carry her pup in such a way. As she ran she could hear the villagers cries in the distance. Not even the demon could keep up with her as her scent was nature itself.

"TOMOE!" Someone cried out into the night but the human fox - Tomoe (toe * mo * way) - did not slow down. She ran faster.


	2. Chapter 2

Tomoe was excellent at digging. She could dig random holes in the ground for days, be it new dens, a rabbit's hole, or a grave. Tomoe was digging but not for the reason in sharing a new den with the child she had taken the other night. It was for the boy and the boy alone. A grave. Tomoe hadn't known what had caused his sudden death that occurred that very morning before sunrise. She had remembered lying with the boy in her arms, tail wrapped around his body like a blanket with Tomoe's own body as the bed, but she did not wake up the next morning with the same lively boy. Instead he was replaced with a dead boy. Skin pale gray, heart stilled, temperature low, and still looked to be sleeping. Tomoe had no doubt that the boy had died and had been dead the moment he had fallen asleep. She had been sad for the child but not sad enough to waste a meal.

Tomoe carefully placed the bones of the small boy in the grave one by one, careful not to harm the soul if it still lingered on the body. Once the bones were all in the grave, Tomoe started to bury them, layering light and soft mounds of soil on the bones so if the soul still lingered it would have an easier time escaping to heaven when it was ready.

Upon finishing, Tomoe sat on the grave with her legs tucked below her and she began to pray in a low bow with her arms reaching towards the end of the grave. Her eyes closed as she breathed evenly and slowly. Not only capturing her own scent but also the graves. She tried to memorize the scent for any chance she may return and pay her respects for the boy again.

The human fox Tomoe was not a very emotional person, but when it came to any type of child - be it fox, wolf, dog, or human - she could not resist wanting that child to care for. She cared deeply for every child that she had captured over the long years and always prayed for their souls to have a safe trip to heaven and that she was sorry she had failed yet again. This boy was no different. She could feel the hot afternoon sun on her pale back as she faced away and prayed, never one for its brightness but would time to time bath in its warmth.

When Tomoe was done praying, she dragged her hands along the soft dirt as she sat up and didn't open her eyes until she was fully up straight. Tomoe was about to open her pale blue eyes when her dark brown with black tipped fox ears twitched in different directions, causing her head to move slightly to face the different directions. To the west she could hear nothing but the swaying of the tree leaves, the whistle of various birds. The north was the same. Shifting her head to the east she could hear the villagers tending the the wheat fields, selling fresh produce, even some housewives mingling among themselves. Once talking about baby names for the other. Shifting to the south immediately, as to not dwell on that conversation any longer, Tomoe could hear something approaching her. Whatever it was it was very slow and still a few miles back, it was trying to pick up Tomoe's scent to track her. Possibly kill her. But she did not see the tracker as a threat. He was currently heading in the wrong direction, again.

Tomoe opened her eyes now, stepped off of the grave, bowed and then started heading north. She had no specific reasoning for heading this way nor any other way. She did not have a permanent den near any villages, nothing near demon territory. She was simply a nomad. Wandering aimlessly until she is forced to settle down with a new child to teach her ways.

As she walked, the birds made Tomoe's fox ears twitch with every new note they sung, the slight breeze made Tomoe's tail sway back and forth, as the bright sun beat down on Tomoe's pale features. She couldn't help but let her mind wander back to the tracker. She was not able to catch his scent for the wind was not in her favor but where there was a tracker, there was a hunter yearning to follow and start the hunt. Tomoe could not tell if the hunters were searching for the boy's safety or for her pelt.

"Tomoe! Where are you, Tomoe!"

Tomoe ignored the irritated laced shouting and continued her steady walk. The hunter was still too far away to be heard by human ears, and hers were hyper extensive. She will be fine if she just kept walking. As the hunter started shouting out her name continuously, Tomoe couldn't help but think about the song the villagers had come up with. A very false song, it was.

 _As we were out a huntin',_

 _One morning in the spring_

 _Both hounds and horses running well_

 _Made the hills and valleys ring._

 _But to our great misfortune,_

 _No fox could be found._

 _Our huntsman cursed and swore but still,_

 _No fox moved over the ground._

 _And up spoke our master huntsman,_

 _The master of the case,_

" _If only the devil herself come by, we'd run her such a race."_

 _And up there sprung like lightning,_

 _A fox from out of her hole._

 _Her fur was the color of grassless earth,_

 _And her eyes were frozen cold._

 _And they chased her over the valley._

 _And they chased her over the fields._

 _And they chased her down to the river bank,_

 _But never would she yield._

 _And she jumped into the water,_

 _And she swam to the other side._

 _And she laughed loud,_

 _The greenwoods shook._

 _Then she turned to the huntsmen and cried:_

" _Ride on my gallant horseman,_

 _When must I come again._

 _For you should never want a fox,_

 _To chase all over the glen._

 _And when your need is greatest,_

 _Just call upon my name._

 _And you shall have the best of sport and game."_

Tomoe had despised the tune ever since it was swept through the forest and rung in her ears years ago; and just like now. She could hear the hunter humming the tune to himself as his men quietly sung the words, but they stopped at one specific part and the lead hunter belted it out.

"If only the devil herself came by, we'd run her such a race!"

Tomoe's legs hesitated to move forwards without her command and made a sudden stop. She did not want to participate in a chase of any sort, but something - perhaps those spellbound words - had her turning around in a full sprint. She raced towards the horsemen, bounded up a high bolder, and leaped over the stunned hunters and tracker. Her arms were stretched out above her head while her legs tensed and gracefully tucked behind the other as if she were diving into a river. When Tomoe landed, she was on all fours, urging herself to go faster as the leader huntsman charged his men forwards.

Tomoe lead the men throughout the valley, having no choice but to race through the village. She could hear cheers from the people as she ran. Some encouraging her to keep running while others shouted profanities to the huntsman, encouraging them to skin her and wear her pelt.

She could not control herself as she was chased through the fields and into the woods once again. When she came across a thick strip of river, she did not hesitate to dive in and swim across. When she emerged from the water and stood without panting on her feet, Tomoe let out a long drawn howl without her consent. Then she looked at the huntsmen and couldn't stop herself from reciting the lines from the song in her light but emotionless voice: "Ride on my gallant horseman, when must I come again. For you should never want a fox, to chase all over the glen. And when your need is greatest, just call upon my name. And you shall have the best of sport and game." Tomoe howled again at the clear blue sky and was accompanied by the men's howls as well. They were from one of the few villages who praised Tomoe like a God. The very village she just ran through.

As she finished her howl she was snapped out of her trance and started to walk off into the forest as the men behind her started to garble their howl together with their husky laughter, making the howl itself sound choppy.

Tomoe did not understand humans in the slightest but she was certain about one thing: she dreaded that cursed song.


	3. Chapter 3

Authom - the season where the leaves on the trees retreat to the forest floor - was almost over and winter was hanging in the air. The usual mating period for foxes. Tomoe was not favored by her own kind and had - on more than one occasion - been banned from ever stepping foot in particular territories in the south . She was not favored by the other foxes because she could not bare more than two kits at once, and none of them wanted their children to have the same human characteristics as she did.

At one point in time, Tomoe did have a fox mate who did not care for her non existent fox characteristics and had stayed with her for thirteen years. They had twenty-two kits while they were together, but Tomoe's mate had died from a vicious fox hunt and Tomoe herself was forced to submit to that wretched song in hopes to find her mates killer. Whenever she heard it Tomoe had to run towards the singer, in hopes she could finally have her revenge. But it was never an actual huntsmen. Just some villagers who praised her as the protector of children. Reacting to the song became second nature, despite her wishes to not participate in the useless game and chase with the praising village foulk.

Tomoe had only been successful in teaching eighteen children her ways over the fifty years since she started. She had taught them how to properly treat animals as if they were their own kind. How to breath in nature's true and undeniable beauty at any time of day. She had taught the children to be sad whenever the time came to hunting. That killing another animal, an animal that they must see themselves in, was nothing but sad and that they should always be sorry for taking their life to save their own. Tomoe had tough nothing such as right and wrong to the children, but to be happy when the time was appropriate and to be sad when the time was appropriate.

Then, later in the spring Tomoe would return the children in the night in hopes they will teach the other children their newly found ways along with their own children later in life. The villages who came to praise Tomoe were the ones who were blessed enough to have their children returned to them; while the other villages who never had the chance to see their kin again grew a grudge against Tomoe and would often try to hunt her down and kill her.

Tomoe had come to realize that winter was not the season to teach human children the hard way. A total of twenty-nine children - all under the age of five - had died during the harsh winters. The other one-hundred and nine children died of an illness or rare diseases like the latest child Tomoe took into her possession. She had to stop taking children in the winter for their own safety and her own. If Tomoe stayed in the same den as the child during a snowstorm, she could potentially kill herself from the lack of warmth. Plus with the lack of food during the chilling season, Tomoe and the child could starve to death. She had made up her mind a long while ago that Tomoe would travel during winter and seek children in warmer climates only. Foxes do not normally go to such extremes in the winter and would bare through it with only the fur on their backs, but Tomoe was not a normal fox. She needed to seek out warmer, habitable conditions before yet another blanket of snow coated the ground on top of the thin layer that had been blanketed on the other night.

Tomoe was not a magical fox like some of her cousin but that did not mean she couldn't sense the shift in weather patterns. She had to get moving, it was going to snow again tonight. And though she was practically banned from the south, she still had one place she could go. With that thought in mind, Tomoe bug her way out of her den and proceeded to head south in no particular hurry to beat the storm. As long as she did not take shelter in the roots of trees like she normally did, she would be safe from trapping herself in the snow.

As she walked, Tomoe could no longer hear the bird's songs, no leaves rustling in the wind. All was quiet except the occasional whispers of the wind, which she carefully listened to as the only source of entertainment. It only took Tomoe from noon to almost sun down to get to a local village she used to hide in the wheat fields as a kit. It has grown significantly over the long years but it still smelt, felt, and looked like the place she grew up in.

When Tomoe was little she was abandoned and left in the woods when a priestess had found her. The family spent generation after generation looking after the young Tomoe until she was finally one-hundred years of age and was old enough to be on her own. She would time to time visit the village who did not praise her but welcomed her appearance without hesitation.

Without entering the village Tomoe sat in the shadows of the tree line as she glanced upon the setting sun while the workers decided to call it a day and head to their homes. Most of them went home to their wives while others made their way to a local human gathering spot Tomoe could not recall the name of. She did not dare enter the village, but stood as its protector for the night. And perhaps its visitor during the long, cold night as well. She needed to see someone before she ventured south for the winter, hopefully mounting her with enough supplies to last her until she came back the up coming spring to gaze upon the beautiful cherry blossoms the wives plant together to celebrate another wonderful harvest.

As Tomoe sat there, she could hear her old friend Kaede talking with her guests as she made a pot of stew. Tomoe could smell two humans, one priestess, one fox demon, and one half dog demon. Tomoe did not feel alarmed for her friend since she could also hear them chatting about venturing south for the winter. Much for the same reason Tomoe was traveling, it was not safe for them either.

Tomoe heard her name suddenly cut into the conversation unnoted by the others and she couldn't help but twitch her ears in curiosity. Kaede did not talk about Tomoe with any one who was not close to her and Tomoe was the same way. In fact, Tomoe never talked to any human, demon, animal about Kaede or anything on personal matter. She couldn't help but want to know why her closest and only friend was talking about her to humans and demons.

"So yee are venturing south, are yee?" Kaede asked. Tomoe closed her eyes and only focused on the conversation, ears perked with anticipation.

"We aren't asking for much. Just a map to help us get there as quickly and as safely as possible. We would have InuYasha lead us but he is not used to venturing south during the winter," the human priestess answered.

"Pff, you say it as if demons _need_ to migrate to survive," the half demon huffed, who Tomoe assumed was InuYasha.

Kaede made a noise before answering. Tomoe was not familiar with human noises or gestures to understand what it was but that didn't matter when she started talking again. "I do not have a map for yee-" a low moan like noise could be heard throughout the group and Tomoe couldn't help but wracked her brain about what that meant before she dismissed it completely and started to listen again, "-But I do know someone who travels south during the snow fall. Yee is a good friend of mine. If yee can catch the lass, she would consider taking yee south with her at the least," Kaede replied and Tomoe had heard enough as she stood and turned. She did not have the time nor patents to assist in helping humans along with two demons south. Foxes did not work in packs.

"How do we find her, lady Kaede?" a male human asked and Tomoe could not believe her ears when she heard the woman's reply.

" _If only the devil herself come by, we'd run her such a race._ " Kaede said it loud enough that the sentence rung through the fields, bounded from the mountain tops above and echoed back down to whisper in Tomoe's ears, most certainly mockingly.

Tomoe resisted the urge to run as she faced away from the village; but that was like resisting an injured child in front of her. Her motherly and animalistic instincts would kick in a heal the child no matter how long it took. She couldn't control herself from turning towards the village - looking down at the villagers who seemed to be on the look out for the fox, just to see her run passed while Kaede explained what was going to happen to the people who needed assistance - the next second, Tomoe was throwing her head back in a long, deep and irritated howl at the slowly setting sun. All eyes snapped up to the edge of the forest to find Tomoe howling, some of the children howling with her and their parents chuckled at them and watched as Tomoe bounded on all fours through the village. Swiftly weaving through people as they welcomed her back with their lips lifted into a smile. She whizzed passed InuYasha, quickly picked up the small demon fox from the ground and made a dash for the forest on the other end of the village. The small demon fox kit was yelling in terror as it bounce in her mouth from her long strides, but Tomoe ignored him as she only focused on making her escape to the river in the tree line where the chase was sure to end.

Tomoe was almost to the end of the fields when something caught her ankle, only slowing her down a bit before a weighted net was thrown on top of her. Making her trip and rolled the rest of the way down the hill, but she was stopped when the ground was flat. Though she took a nasty spill, Tomoa did not falter in letting go of the small kit. Instead she held him close to her chest to make sure she was the only one who was burdened with touching the net.

Tomoe struggled with the net, not being able to untangle herself from the rough rope, she howled in defeat. Not knowing what else to do, this being the first time this had happened. When she was finished Tomoe looked down at the small fox kit still in her arms. His eyes were tightly shut as he cling to Tomoe, hiding his face in her breasts. But Tomoe did not care. She found it heartwarming to know that this fox child was scared and had seeked her help in his time of need.

"It is alright now. You have not sustained any injuries, little kit. But I fear the huntsmen are coming to get us now," Tomoe stated with a bland face, but her quiet and soft voice sounded reassuring to the little one in her arms as he opened his eyes in surprise.

"Huntsman-?" he asked but was cut off but a sharp yell from the human priestess.

"Shippo!"

"Kagome?" the young kit muttered and Tomoe could only assume Shippo was his name as Kagome was the priestess' name. Tomoe shifted so that Shippo was facing his pack while Tomoe turned around and faced the forest that was just steps away from freedom.

"Are you alright, Shippo?" Kagome asked as she kneeled besides the young kit, ignoring Tomoe while the others came around to face the human fox.

Tomoe didn't bother looking away from the forest and peering up at her captures. She was too busy thinking about how she was going to snake her way out of the situation at hand. She couldn't get out of the ropes herself, so perhaps when they cut her free she'll run without looking back. She shouldn't take the kit Shippo with her anyways, though he was a fox, the winter could still physically weaken him. Making him more vulnerable than he already is.

"Hey, fox. You still alive down there? Did you hear me?" The half demon InuYasha asked. Tomoe hadn't been listening to his prior rant and did not particularly care. She did not have to nor want to be associated with this pack let alone travel with it.

"You think she's hurt?" the other human women asked as she kneeled and made eye contact with Tomoe. She nor Tomoe said anything as they stared at one another blandly.

"Yee is not injured, yee is just upset she had been caught. She is a wild animal after all, and views yee as huntsman," Kaede walked over and place a gentle hand on Tomoe's bland face. They never broke eye contact nor the connection as Kaede cut the rope and let it slide off of Tomoe's body. Kaede lifted her hand to take to rope off of Tomoe's face but then laid it back on when she was done. Tomoe could not run from Kaede since Kaede was the closest thing she had to a friend and the only one who helped her in any owed Kaede her life and could not simply run away with her there as she held her down.

Now everyone was crouching before Tomoe, staring down at her and she instantly hated the situation she was forced in. But she could not express her discomfort to Kaede. It was not her place; so she stayed quiet and never tore her eyes away from Kaede as she introduced the huntsman to Tomoe.

"Everyone, this is Tomoe the human fox," Tomoe's ears and tail twitched at the sound of her name. "Tomoe, this is InuYasha, Kagome, Shippo, Sango, and Miroku. They need yee assistance in traveling south to find temporary villages to resign in as they search for the Shikon Jewel shards." Kaede stated and Tomoe couldn't help but twitch her tail again at the mentioning of the Shikon Jewel, but that was none of her concern.

Tomoe didn't know how to respond. She couldn't deny their request in front of Kaede, but the woman was insistent on staying until she had an answer. Tomoe was about to give in when she felt a slight tug on the weight around her ankle and instantly growled and glared at the human man, Miroku for touching her. But she was silent when Kaede put more pressure on her cheek, earning her full attention.

"Yee mustn't growl at the hands who were trying to help, Tomoe. Yee might be an animal, but yee are still part human," Kaede stated and Tomoe flinched when Miroku started to take the weight off of her ankle again, but she didn't dare growl again.

Tomoe sighed and closed her eyes in defeat before nodding. The pressure of Kaede's hand was lift off of her face and Tomoe just laid there as they all stood in front of her.

"Um, Tomoe, I know that you're an animal and all, but where are your clothes?" Kagome asked and everyone seemed to gasp in realization. Tomoe could feel the awkwardness in the air instantly, but she didn't care as she sighed, stood up and stared at Kagome blankly. Everyone was glancing away except Miroku and Kaede.

"A wild fox such as myself does not need clothes. They are nothing more than a restriction against being entirely free," Tomoe stated in her monotone yet light voice, not seeing the problem as she watched Kagome's cheeks turn red.

"So you purposely don't wear clothes?!" Kagome yelled, making Tomoe's ears flinch.

"That is correct."

"Tomoe, perhaps yee should at least put on a pair of pants and cover yee chest with yee hair," Kaede stated and again, Tomoe could not deny her, but it did take a great effort to utter out a yes.


	4. Chapter 4

It took Tomoe a great effort to put on the baggy black pants Kaede had given her for she had dislike them very much and quite frankly: didn't know how to put them on. Kagome - the priestess - and Sango - the demon slayer - had offered to help her on more than one occasion, but Tomoe was a prideful fox and would not stoop so low as to receive help from mere humans. She had tried to deny the pants when Kaede retreated them for her, but could not stand the disapproving gaze she was given a moment later. Her first attempt ended with her putting on the pants backwards and having to start over again. Her second attempt had her sitting on the ground as everyone tried to keep in their chuckles. Tomoe had put her feet in the two smaller holes first and had tried it that way, but had to start over again from Kaede's command. Tomoe's third and final attempt was also in vain. She had put both feet in one hole and had fallen to the dirt again. She stayed on the ground. Not making a move to stand as everyone staring down at her, starting to laugh without hesitation.

Having enough, Tomoe turned to Kaede who was smiling down at the human fox, "Kaede," she said, "I do not understand how one puts on this particular garment."

Kaede only smiled at Tomoe before answering, "I cannot help yee. Sees this moment to build a bond with yee new pack."

Tomoe growled under her breath but instantly stopped when Kaede frowned at her. Tomoe turned her head to the group before pointing at InuYasha, and he instantly stopped laughing. "You, half demon dog," Tomoe said in her monotone voice, "I require assistance."

"I have a name, yeah know? And why me? Can't Kagome do it?" InuYasha folded his arms over his chest as he half turned away from Tomoe.

"InuYasha, you are the pack leader, are you not? A leader must assist his fellow pack's men without hesitation. Plus, you are the only other being wearing this type of cover. Must I plead again?"

InuYasha sighed and took her hand to help her stand, "Fine. But I'm only doing this once, got it?" he stated firmly and he looked away from Tomoe as she slid the pants off and handed them to the demon in front of her. Without giving a reply, Tomoe watched as InuYasha wadded one pant-leg so his fingers poked through one of the smaller holes as he kneeled before her.

"Step into the hole," InuYasha stated roughly as he kept his gaze away from her. Tomoe did as told and waited patiently for InuYasha to wad the other side before stepping in without instruction. When that was done, InuYasha stood and looked away from Tomoe with his arms crossed, obviously embarrassed about what he had just done.

"Now pull them up around your waist," he instructed and Tomoe did just that, not understanding why he didn't do that for her. Maybe, she thought, this half demon feels emotions like humans. What was the word Kaede told me before? Envious? No… it was something else…

Tomoe was cut from her thoughts when something fastened around her waist, scaring her, and causing her to growl. But she stopped when something hit her head.

"Hush, Tomoe. Do not be so hostile, child. Kagome was helping tighten yee cover. Remember, we do not bite the hand who helps us," Kaede stated as Kagome slowly approached Tomoe to tie her sash.

Tomoe cleared her throat and swallowed the urge to kill Kagome for assisting without permission. The human fox kept quiet as Kagome walked around her and ripped a small hole in the back so Tomoe's tall could be free. Clearing her throat again as Kagome went to stand before her with a smile, Tomoe blandly said: "As a form of my gratitude for assistance, I will not devour this pack in the twilight of all the nights we will share together." Tomoe then turned south and started walking. "Come," she said without turning back, "I will serve as your guide."

As soon as Tomoe heard them following her, she tuned them out. Not bothering to engage in any type of conversation as she let her instincts lead them south. She did not bother to say her good-bye's to lady Kaede for she will see her again, and lady Kaede did the same. Only wishing the humans and demons luck on their adventure. Tomoe did not believe in luck. If something happened it was because it was destined to happen, not because of something humans called: chance. Tomoe did not believe she was alive from luck, but because it was her destiny. Just how it was her destiny to lead these travelers south with no guarantee of getting to their destination alive.

Kagome had tried to enter a conversation with Tomoe as they walked, but Tomoe ignored the priestess and kept walking, her ears not even flinching in the slightest from hearing her name. After that, Kagome had not tried to talk to the human fox again.

To say the truth, Kagome was intimidated by the fox despite her small appearance. She had heard about Tomoe in other villages, talking about how a fox who goes by the name Tomoe had kidnapped their children in the darkest hour of night and had never returned them. They described her looks to be human, but she was a true fox on the inside, a true demon. But Tomoe was no such thing. She was just a fox in a human's body; and Kagome knew this but was still intimidated. She may look human, but humans could not hear a single blade of grass drop to the ground like she could, no human could shield their scent like she could, and no human could look nineteen and still be smaller than Kagome, only going to said girl's nose.

Tomoe had the height and speed of a grey fox, the coldness and cannibalistic nature of a red fox, the tale of the cape fox, and the ability to change her fur color like the Artic fox. Tomoe was a storm to stand clear of and the ones who dare stop her tracks will not be tolerated and will die without mercy. Kagome had a good reason to fear Tomoe alright, but as the fox had promised: she will not dine on their flesh while they are in her presence.

Yielding, Tomoe grabbed at her pants and pushed the waistband down as far as they would allow her, to her pelvic bones. She did not like the feeling of the soft fabric rubbing against her skin. The sensation was most annoying and she wanted nothing more than to rip off the garments but could not understand how to. She suspected a spell was bound to them to not let her take them off no matter the situation.

Tomoe sighed and looked up at the moon, only half of it was illuminated making it midnight. Tomoe new humans needed their sleep to restore their energy for the next sunrise, thus she turned around and stared at the group. They were obviously tired from their walk and from the time, and when Tomoe sat abruptly, everyone sighed and sat down without hesitation. Tomoe watched as they started to unload their belongings from Kagome's very particular teleportation device that clicked and had wheels. The fox watched as Sango started a fire, Miroku collecting twigs and sticks, Shippo helped Kagome lay out what looked like small human beds, while InuYasha sat under a big tree and watched the fire.

Tomoe was not and never will be able to stand near the licking flames of what Sango was creating. She never understood what other purpose it had other than burning anything it came in contact with. Killing it mercilessly with its heat or suffocating it slowly with its smoke. Tomoe had experienced fire before and dreaded its existence even more than her summoning song. It took away her most precious treasure and was not about to give it the chance to take her life as well. The human fox hid in the shadows of the forest, only her green eyes - illuminated by the flames - could be seen. It was nothing less than an eery sight for the rest of the group and even had InuYasha spooked at first glance.

"Tomoe, come out where we can see you. You're giving me the creeps," Kagome stated as a twitching smile pulled at her lips.

Tomoe gave no reply and did not move as instructed.

"You're going to get terribly cold out there in the beginning of snow season, Tomoe," Sang tried to convince her, but Tomoe gave her the same result.

"I don't think she trusts us," Miroku muttered to InuYasha and now the dog demon stared at Tomoe, but Tomoe did not shift her unblinking gaze to meet his.

"You had promised not to eat us when Kaede was around, fox. Does that still apply now?" InuYasha asked, beyond the point of being a dumbass and yell at her. He could not detect her next move at all. She was so unpredictable he didn't want to lose his focus around her for even a moment.

There was still no reply from Tomoe as she seemed to glare at the bright reddish orange flames. She could go back on her word and eat her pack like her inner red fox would, but she should not do such a thing for she could be slain by the hands of the half demon. That was the last activity she wanted to do on this night or any other night.

Tomoe crawled towards the group to get out of the shadows and reveal herself. She hated being in close proximities of the flames, but she had to be seen to keep her trust with her new pack. InuYasha watched her wearily. Kagome and Shippo being the closest beings to the wild card of the group and he did not trust her one bit. She sat on the every edge of the shadows, so the light from the fire hit her dimly. Not letting her fear of the blaze show on her emotionless face as she continued to stare at it and InuYasha at her. She was not letting her guard down tonight.

After everyone seemed to calm down - even with the alarming atmosphere emitting from the dog and fox - Kagome and the others decided to make the best of it.

The priestess made human food - that Tomoe did not recognize as traditional human foods - with Shippo, Sango and Miroku were holding a conversation about what creatures they might encounter on their journey south, while Tomoe could feel InuYasha's gaze on her the entire time. She did not meet his gaze once, nor told him off. She did not care for she knew he was just doing everything in his power to protect his pack. He was part dog after all, and Tomoe understood how territorial they could be. She was in the same family tree after all. They were basically distant cousins.

"Uh, Tomoe? Would you like something to eat?"

Tomoe's emotionless gaze shifted from the sound of Shippo's baby like voice. She could not help but feel a ting of happiness from seeing the young kit was not frightened by her presence; and seemed to not be able to realize that everyone was watching them from his gentle offer. Tomoe could not resist as she took the bowl from the small kit demon with a bland face, then set it down quickly as soon as he turned away. Before he could take a second step elsewhere, Tomoe took him in her arms, holding him tight against her chest as he emitted a small yelp of surprise, causing InuYasha and everyone else to stand immediately.

"Let go of him now, Tomoe!" InuYasha yelled as he unsheathed his sword, but Tomoe was not discouraged when she saw the dainty looking sward. It was rusted, dull, and beat up. It posed no threat to the human fox, which just encouraged her to continue with her nuzzling. Shippo was not alarmed like his friends. Tomoe's actions reminded him of how his father used to great him and praise him.

"What? The tetssaiga's not working!" Miroku panicked.

"Tomoe," Sango held up her weapon towards the fox, but Tomoe was not alarmed, "I will give you a chance to free him by the count of three. If you don't, I'll hurt you."

Tomoe flopped to her side as she continued to nuzzle Shippo while he tried to pull away. But it was no use, she could not unhand him now. "I do not pose as a threat. The proof is from the sward. Don't you think that if I meant this kit any harm, it would've cut me by now?" Tomoe finally said something to the group in a long while and had forced herself to let go of Shippo. She was certain that if she held on any longer, she would've marked him as her own kin with her scent, and she could not have any kin in the winter.

"Kit?" Miroku asked as the group relaxed at her surrender.

"It is what mother foxes call baby foxes," Kagome answered and Tomoe turned on her side to face away from the group.

"You were a mother once, Tomoe?" Sango asked, staring in shock with the rest of the group.

Tomoe gave no reply, just laid there and stared into the dark forest. Her fox eyes allowing her to see clearly like it was still light out.

"What happened to them?" Kagome asked and Tomoe culled into a ball. Forcing herself to ignore the question as to not let memories of that day resurface.

The group realized she wasn't going to speak more than she already had and had went about their own business like she wasn't there. When the humans and Shippo were a sleep, Tomoe sat up, still facing away from the group. As she moved, she could feel InuYasha's eyes on her again. She did not expect him to sleep as the leader of the pack, and she did not expect him to trust her, either. Especially not after what she did earlier in the night. But maybe, she should try to trust him first to ensure she was no threat to his friends.

"You don't need my help to know a sense of direction, InuYasha, so why call upon me when you are perfectly capable?" Tomoe asked blandly but curiosity was evident in her words.

He let out a long sigh which made Tomoe's ears twitch. "It was for them. They wanted reassurance that we would get there quickly and safely. We were hoping for a map, but a personal guide was given to us instead. We didn't know it would be against your will for you to come with us."

"Is this a form of apology, demon dog?"

"No," InuYasha hissed stubbornly, making Tomoe's ears twitch again. It grew quiet between the pair but InuYasha could not help but ask a burning question, "You called Shippo a 'kit' which only mother foxes do. Were you once a mother yourself, Tomoe?"

Tomoe did not answer at first. Contemplating if she should ignore his question or answer to gain his trust. She decided to talk around it. "I meant Shippo no harm with my embrace. I also mean no harm to anyone in the pack. I hope you understand this and will stop holding the handle of your sword to cut me down if I make a false move," Tomoe stated and heard InuYasha's clothes shift as he let go of his sword's handle. He, himself did not know he was holding it so tightly.

"You didn't answer my question, fox."

"Yes, I was a mother," Tomoe answered flatly, regretting ever engaging in conversation with the half demon.

"What happened to them?"

"They all grew up and left the den with my and my life-mate's knowledge of the world. No one could've prepared them better for such a harsh place."

"You said 'life-mate' just then. Where is he?"

Tomoe froze before answering, "I said no such thing."

"I heard you clear as day-"

Tomoe looked over her shoulder with a murderous gleam in her green eyes as she growled at the dog: "I said nothing of the sort."

"And I said, you did! What are you hiding from me, Tomoe? What happened to your mate?" he yelled and Tomoe stood, feeling threatened and challenged.

"Why must you insist upon knowing, dog?" Tomoe almost shouted, and kept his gaze. She didn't care that the others were starting to wake up from their argument. No one needed to know about her past.

"As pack leader, I want to know your business now, so spill fox!" he yelled and Tomoe growled as she crouched on all fours. Ready to pounce from any sign of attack.

"What's going on you two? Stop fighting," Kagome was suddenly awake and alert with everyone else, but they did not dare step in between the two.

"Just tell me what happened and I'll never ask again!" InuYasha yelled. He had his hand on his sword, ready to pull it out if she attacked. Neither of them wanting to make the first move.

"You don't need to know what happened," Tomoe growled.

"I already know you were a mother. I already know you had a mate, and by the way you are reacting, I can only guess something terrible had happened to him. Tell me, Tomoe."

The group around the fire gaped at Tomoe and stared at her with a look of pity. Oh how she hated those looks. She barely understood human emotion, but anger, happiness, and pity were the three she understood the most. She was pitied the moment she was found in the wheat field as a kit, the moment _that_ day happened, and she loathed that emotion most of all.

"It happened more than one-hundred years ago. You weren't even born in that time, dog!"

"Then enlighten me, fox!"

"Never!" Tomoe shouted and pounced at InuYasha, having heard enough from the selfish dog. Tomoe was so fast, InuYasha had no time to unsheathe his sword let alone realize he was on the ground a second after she said those words. Tomoe was cradling his chest and used her strength to hold him down with just one hand as the other raised. Her nails turned to claws, her teeth turned to spikes, and her eyes were no longer masked with less emotion that a rock. There was pain evident. Along with fear, hatred and the need to kill something. Her inner fox not holding back. She hated being challenged just as much as she hated being looked at with pity, perhaps even more.

"Tomoe, stop!" Miroku cried, but Tomoe was far too gone to hear.

"You, InuYasha, do not need to hear a single sentence about my past let alone have the right to ask about it. Knowing I was a mother and that I mean no harm to anyone in your pack is pushing it enough, so let the subject on Riku drop! I am only here to assist in your travels to the south, we do not need to converse about anything involving each other!" Tomoe shouted, still straddling InuYasha's chest as she tried her best to compose herself.

"Do not press the matter any further, or else I will slaughter you and everyone of your pack members, got it?" Tomoe breathed, coming down from her aggressive high. Her teeth, nails, and eyes changing back to normal but she continued to take deep breaths.

"Just get off of me alright," InuYasha muttered and Tomoe did as told. Going back to the soft patch of grass she was sitting on before and resumed her spot facing away from the group as she felt all their stares on her.

They, she thought, do not need to know, along with everyone else in this world.


	5. Chapter 5

Walking, Tomoe was leading the small group do south on a light trail she had taken at one point when she was a kit. The scents were all familiar and brought back fragments of happy memories, which made her happy as well. She could not remember exactly why or how she knew this place, but it made child's laughter flood through her head along with a blurr of rustic red and pure white flash behind her eyelids when ever she blinked.

"Tomoe, do you know this place?" Sango walked beside her and Tomoe looked up at her before realizing her cheeks were hurting from the smile that was plastered on her soft quickly wiped off the smile and looked back towards the trail, not wanting to engage in a conversation, but Sango insisted, saying: "Don't act like you didn't hear me Tomoe. I saw you look directly at me the moment I said your name."

Tomoe didn't reply as she took a sharp turn to the left, cutting Sango off from turning with her. They were no longer on the path but this way was safer. This was fox territory, Tomoe could smell them and none would be very happy to see her. This was also a place Tomoe was banished from.

"Uh, Tomoe, I thought we were following the trail," Miroku stated but nonetheless followed Tomoe down the new path she was creating.

"It's dangerous," Tomoe stated blandly, knowing she would have to explain later if she didn't answer now. Besides, it wasn't a personal question.

"Dangerous? I don't smell any demons," InuYasha stated as he lifted his nose into the air and sniffed it before frowning.

"Do you think I am dangerous?" Tomoe asked. She couldn't care less about what he thought about her, but she had to get her point across.

"Yes," Miroku answered first.

"Can you smell me?"

InuYasha made a deep noise in his throat that Tomoe could only decipher was another human gesture. Then he said: "No… I can't smell you… You don't have a scent."

"How is that possible?" Kagome gasped and Tomoe didn't have to face the group to know they all stopped walking. She could not hear their foot fall any longer, so she stopped as well. A few paces ahead.

"Why don't you smell like anything, Tomoe?!" InuYasha yelled. His body emitted a sudden wave of panic through the air as he assumed Tomoe was setting them up and was going to kill them, and thus unsheathed his sword. But, again, it did not transform into the mighty tessaiga his father had left him.

Tomoe stood, her tail swaying it the wind as her only movement, and she sighed, "I still do not pose as a threat of any kind, dog. When will you understand this simple-" Tomoe stopped mid sentence and faced west, peering into the forest while her body continued to face south. Her ears were perked, feet shoulder length apart. She looked like she was going to print in that very direction when she heard a twig snap and she shot off south without a second glance. Leaving the others behind. She raced through the forest, swiftly avoiding the territories she could not go through and live to see sun set.

It had always been every fox for themselves since the moment she was born and it was still cemented into her brain that if she kept to a pack, they were at a high risk of getting killed to save one another. Aside from every foxes police, Tomoe knew this was no place for a human fox like herself to be. A place where true, ruthless, and murderous fox's lie in waiting for her return.

Her pants were restricting her from being able to crouch on all fours into a true sprint and they were barely allowing her to run on two legs. THe way the fabric rubbed against her skin was irritable and made her want to rip off the cloth that instant, but Tomoe could hear them closing in on her. Fallowing her immediate instinct, Tomoe leaped into the closest tree. The inertia made the tree sway and light cracking sounds come from the branch she had hosted herself onto, but it did not break under her weight.

Not giving the slightest hint she had just ran at all, Tomoe glanced down at the single pacing fox bleakly as it snarled at her. It's fur was a copper red with cream color on the ends of its ears and tail. White also extended down to its jaw and underbelly, but that shade of white was pink from a resident mulling. Tomoe could smell the human blood on her old friend, along with many fox's.

"Higitsune, the fox with fur the color of flames," Tomoe stated blandly and did not dare shift her gaze away or let her ears twitch when she heard InuYasha and the others starting to inch closer and closer to their destination. If she made a move in their general direction, Higitsune would kill them.

"Ah, so it is you Tomoe. I couldn't tell since you are wearing such a disgusting… thing around your human form. Tell me, how is it like being someone's domestic pet?" Higitsune growled as her ears laid flat on her head. Her eyes were coal black with a gruesome red gleam.

Tomoe kept her composure as she stroked her tail and stared down at the fox. "You tell me Higitsune, what is it like having to answer to a pack leader? Didn't you know, foxes are supposed to be free, nomads, wanderers without a cause?"

"Put a muzzle on it, Tomoe! You're the one who's betrayed their heritage for something so childish as revenge! I slaughtered the other resigning foxes and humans in the area and now you are on _my_ domain!"

"You're the only childish one here Higitsune. The only reason you chase me is because of something that happened while we were kits," Tomoe stated dully as she smoothed out the fur on her tail.

"It was my ball and you broke it, Tomoe! I will never forgive you, so you must die!" The fire fox jumped, missing Tomoe's dangling feet by a half a foot then yipped in frustration when she couldn't reach her the next leap as well.

"Tomoe, are you alright?" Kagome asked as they emerged from the gruff of the forest. Higitsune didn't bother turning around as she continued to leap at Tomoe's feet. She was never going to be able to reach no matter how hard she tried.

"I am fine," Tomoe stated as she watched the pathetic fox snap her teeth at her with each jump, but she was not alarmed in the slightest. InuYasha unsheathed his sword but Tomoe stopped him by lifting her hand, not breaking eye contact with the fox below her.

"Do not harm this fox. Higitsune is just upset."

"I smell human blood on her," InuYasha insisted, taking a step forward but stopped when he meat Tomoe's emotionless glare.

"She is a fox after all. We have to eat just like you, dog and humans," Tomoe stated and then returned her gaze to Higitsune, who was passing the tree with a growl under her breath. She did not particularly like how Tomoe was conversing so earnestly given her current situation.

"Does that mean you eat humans, Tomoe?" Shippo asked and Tomoe ignored him when Higitsune started speaking. None of the others could understand the foxes dialect, even Shippo who was raised only knowing the villages spoken language.

"Do not talk as though you are protecting me, Tomoe. I can fight my own battles. Now, why don't you come down from there and fight me so we can settle this once and for all!" Higitsune barked.

"Because," Tomoe sighed, "It would not be a fair fight if I do not have my full rang in motion with this clothing on."

"Then take it off!"

"It is a cursed cloth. Only can it be undone by the hands of Lady Kaede."

Miroku raised a questionable eyebrow, "What are you saying, Tomoe? There's nothing wrong with your- Mph!"

Sango slapped her hand over his mouth and chuckled without humor, "Yes, that is right, Tomoe. Kaede put a spell on those pants before she gave them to you, right guys?" Everyone nodded in agreement. Anything to keep Tomoe from being in total nude for the rest of the trip.

"So," the fire fox sat, staring up at Tomoe, "If you didn't come here to fight, what are you doing here and with a band of weak links? Have you grown soft for human adults too now, Tomoe?"

The human fox growled down at her, "Of course not, you ignorant firefox. I was forced into accepting to move them South. I did not want to collide paths with the likes of you and get burned along the way."

"Watch your tongue, Tomoe. One day, someone is going to chop it off as punishment for being so sharp."

"What are you two talking about," InuYasha demanded, making Tomoe's ears twitch. She had forgotten they were there and were awaiting her guidance.

"We were discussing the topic of my tongue getting chopped. No worries. It will never happen," Tomoe answered and couldn't help the small smirk that slid on her face, but disappeared as fast as it came.

"Say, do you two know each other, Tomoe?" Kagome asked and with that Tomoe jumped down from the tree, patted Higitsunes head, then started walking. Trusting her old friend would not be so childish as attack from behind.

Tomoe did not answer, but waved them over without turning around, "Come," she said, "Let our journey continue south."

They walked until sunset and had set up camp before dark, giving Kagome enough time to cook her unappealing human food. She had offered some to Tomoe but the human fox refused, though, she was terribly hungry. Tomoe prided herself from being able to do things by herself and so would not let a mere human simply bring her food when she did not ask for it. Plus, Tomoe could not get far enough away from the stench produced from the human food Kagome had brought. If she gets close enough, she might just about throw up.

When the humans and Shippo were asleep, Tomoe sat awake in a soft patch of grass, looking at the stars, while InuYasha stared at her. Trying to figure her out. What her purpose was. He still couldn't figure it out and still couldn't seem to be able to detect her next move, or what she was thinking even. He wasn't the best at reading people, but Tomoe was a blank sleath compared to everyone else he's met before. A total mystery in the world. He wanted to know more about her as badly as she wanted to take off the restricting cloth around her waist and legs.

"Do you actually eat humans?" InuYasha asked, not caring about how rude of a question it was to ask.

Tomoe sighed. She knew engaging in conversation was inevitable, and decided it was the best that she answer to him. She said: "Yes. But it does not matter what I eat, whether it be dead or alive before I find it, it is still upsetting."

"It's upsetting to eat something?" InuYasha felt she was an even bigger mystery than he thought, but he did not regret asking for she was actually responding.

"No. It is upsetting to kill anything. Whether it be a human, demon, animal. It is very saddening to kill something that once had a life of its own. Had a soul purpose in the world other than to be eaten."

"But, you eat humans. Something apart of your own blood. You aren't called: Tomoe the human fox for nothing."

"I never said I enjoy eating them. It is true I am half human, but I am also part red fox. The only fox who is a cannibal. Who will not hesitate to eat their own kit to survive."

"Have you ever eaten your children then?"

Tomoe did not answer.

"Okay. Don't tell me. I didn't want to know anyway," InuYasha huffed and Tomoe looked over her shoulder to see his bottom lip was slightly curled, arms crossed over his chest as he looked away from her. She recognized the expression, but wasn't sure if irritated was the correct word to describe InuYasha's posture. Was he _irritated_ with her?

"You…" Tomoe trailed off, causing the dog too look over at her in questioning. He had never heard her so hesitant to say anything before. "You are a demon and human at the same time, yet, why do you act most human than demon? Were you raised by your human parent?" Tomoe asked, genuinely confused and InuYasha stared at her for a moment before she spoke up again, but this time she was looking at the grass. "I am also part human but I was raised by a fox before I was left in the village, thus, I do not understand human emotion. It is hard for me to detect familiar human facial expression, posture, and speech when there are so many."

InuYasha didn't know what to say, didn't know how to react to her confession besides whisper her name under his breath as if he had uncovered something small about her that no one else knew. Which was correct. No one was close enough to Tomoe to have her talk about herself so openly - with the exception of Lady Kaede who helped in watching over the fox.  
He wanted to say something, anything. Even change the topic with another question to keep her talking while he had her but he was interrupted when Tomoe's ears twitched and twisted around so they could capture something being whispered behind her. She was alert in no time, staring bleakly threw the trees as she only concentrated on the noise.

"... _No fox could be found._

 _Our huntsman cursed and swore but still,_

 _No fox moved over the ground."_

Someone was singing the song. Her beckoning song.

" _And up spoke our master huntsman,_

 _The master of the case…"_

Tomoe stood, faced away from the direction it was coming from and held her ears tightly. Groaning in annoyance more than pain. She was fighting herself to go, look for the human who was singing, then slaughter them. The only thing holding her back was that she didn't want to alarm anyone in the camp with either seeing the blood bath or questioning her sudden disappearance.

"Tomoe, what's wrong?" InuYasha asked urgently as he stood now, approaching her with caution. He watch as she stepped back, holding her ears as her head shook in denial. He wondered if she was in pain, but he couldn't find his voice when he watched as Tomoe's hair, ears, and tail turned snow white. Eyes glowing a vibrant green. InuYasha though she was turning into her true fox form just like how he turned into his human form for a day; but the reality was: Tomoe was part Arctic fox and they can change their fur color to match the upcoming winter season. It was not painful, but it was ironic how it seemed to happen at her time of dismay.

She clutched her ears flat against her head with much effort to close off any possible way she could hear that last verse, but it was inevitable.

" _If only the devil herself come by, we'd run her such a race."_

Tomoe's eyes popped open as she stood frozen in place. Barely breathing. She was fighting, telling herself she didn't have to go… but she was hungry…

Having made her decision, she threw her head back - interrupting InuYasha's worried pled - and howled at the sky, the full moon nonetheless. She startled everyone awake, even made InuYasha himself jump in surprise as he watched her sprint off without a word.

"What the hell was that?!" Miroku yelled, standing along with everyone else as they stared where the noise came from.

"I think it was Tomoe, but I'm not sure," InuYasha stated, not looking away from where Tomoe once stood and howled at the moon.

"What are you talking about InuYasha? What happened to her?" Kagome asked franticly before she noticed that the fox was gone.

"You know how I turn human once a month?"

"Yeah - wait, are you saying that Tomoe just…"

"She transformed into a pure white haired fox right in front of me."

"Where do you think she went?" Shippo asked.

"Tomoe's in full fox mode, hasn't eaten in two or so days, and know what she does eat?" Sango asked and everyone gasped.

"Humans. We have to stop her!" Kagome panicked and grabbed her bow and arrow before running in the direction Tomoe left. Everyone followed suit.


	6. Chapter 6

Tomoe could hear InuYasha and the rest of the group following after her, but she did not freeze in her tracks, leaving a dozen dead bodies in her wake, to wait for them. She could not stop running, killing, eating even after she violently mutilated the body of the man who beckoned her and invited her to exercise the idea of having a feast. She felt free, wild, alive just how a true fox should. The only object holding her back was the spell bound cloth around her pale figure and she soon realized that clawing, biting, fighting the material did the trick.

Now she was undeniably free. Human - even animal - blood running down her mouth to her chin, either dripped there or continued its journey on her neck and smoothly glided down the rest of her body. The taste and scent of human blood encouraging her animalistic instincts to continue her hunt for humans until she had had enough, more than her naturally fill. She wanted to eat until she got sick from human tissue, but that was never possible for that was her regular diet.

She could hear Kagome calling for her, pleased to see that they had neglected to remember her call which held a tight leash on her at all times, but tonight, she was able to cut the rope. They were a good mile away and tracking her down only using the stench of human blood that coated her skin, but she quickly changed her course when she veered west. She ran another couple of miles tirelessly before diving off a high cliff, being able to hear the roaring of rapids waiting for her demise, but she would not parich to such natural beauty. She made little to no noise breaking the water's surface, washed off the blood swiftly before emerging from the water and running in a full sprint once on dry land. Her hair, ears, and tail sopping but drying slightly from the wind whizzing past her as she could not longer hear the trackers.

Though, having lost them, Tomoe did not slow her pace. West was as good as south in some regions. Plus, though she had had her usual amount to eat, Tomoe still hungered for human meat. She wanted their heart. She wanted their kidney. She wanted _more._ She drooled with anticipation of her next meal. Oh how she loved hearing the snapping of her victims bones as she tore them from their live bodies limb from limb. Cleaning off any tissue, blood, or other edible content she could find until the bones were sparkling white. Most of her victims could not be eaten in one sitting fast enough and mostly had all of their vital organs ripped from their chest cavity in a hasty feast, but she wanted to devour a full human as her last snack before having enough. She wanted a Godly, bloody, messy desert.

Tomoe could smell something in the air, humans. Outside of their homes in the twilight of nights where the moon was full and being praised by many as she sped towards the food. But before she could leap over the hills peek and surprise one of the male humans with her presence, Tomoe stopped abruptly, laid flat on her stomach before carefully crawling forward to loom over the edge. She could not only smell human men, but a human child as well.

Tomoe could not corrupt any child for their innocents with the modulations of their superiors. It was how kits learned how to hunt and kill, but Tomoe found that human children were soft, gentle, and could never hurt another without a well justifiable reasoning. Same with animals, and Tomoe even followed at rule. Their would be no killing without a reasoning and as senseless as her current feast seems, she is actually hungry and is not killing for the sport. Each human she kills she takes a bite or two then quickly leaves. She was sad about having to kill but quickly apologized and repaid them by sending their souls a prayer so they were certain to go to heaven. She was mourning over their death and their family's lost but only in deepest of her mind where those thoughts could not distract her until she was open to morning.

As Tomoe peered over the edge of the steep hill, she saw a human girl - no older than eight human years - splashing about in the villages fish pond they kept for food. Tomoe silently watched the girl as she struggled to catch one of the sashimi fish in the pond. Her hair was a dark brown - almost black - same as her eyes as she wore a faded salmon colored kimono with dull flower designs sewn carelessly on the cloth. It hung from her shoulders loosely, tattered and uneven at the ends of the skirt and sleeves. A rip or two in the back or side.

Tomoe was instantly disgusted. Not by the girl, but how she seemed to be neglected. She was not like the other children she had seen. She was certainly older than her normal pray, but she seemed so uncared for. So neglected, abused like she was an animal. No doubt treated like one, either, considering the way she manually tried to catch the sashimi with no adult human supervision. Tomoe was not disgusted by the girl, no, but with the other humans for their heinous acts.

Tomoe wracked her brain about taking the girl. Wanting to let her feel what being truly loved by another is supposed to be like. But winter was almost here, and though she was in one of the warmer regions of the west, the girl could still be killed mercilessly. Tomoe could not take her fearing it would not be the warmth of love she would feel, but the bitterness of chilled winds instead.

So Tomoe watched the girl, catching her every move and storing it safely in her memory. This human child was not like the others, that was clear, and this fact made Tomoe even more resistant to merely watch over the girl. But she can not have her now.

Tomoe cracked a small smile when the girl giggled at finally catching a fish. Her wordless tune was enough to make Tomoe's ears twitch stiffly as they yearned to hear more of the melodious voice. The girl's smile was vibrant, glowing with untamed happiness with all of her purely white teeth still intact. Tomoe was pleased with the girls happiness even when she seemed so neglected. So isolated. This made Tomoe wonder if the girl really was love. Just messy. A delinquent rebelling against a loving family. It was a harder theory to take in, but Tomoe wanted to believe it.

But it only lasted two minutes when men from the village came with fire lit on torches and long pointed sticks. Tomoe instantly feared the fire, but with the girl so close to the seemingly angry men with the orange licking flames made Tomoe freeze. She didn't want to believe the child was in trouble.

Perhaps the villagers were looking for her, Tomoe thought, they wouldn't dare hurt her.

"I knew it!" one man yelled, "I knew you were the dirty culprit, Rin!" Not only was the man angry - or simply upset with the girl - he was furious. Much so, he dragged Rin out of the water by her upper arm, pushed her to the ground and started to beat her senseless. The other men adding to the assault with a few kicks here and there.

Tomoe watched in horror. Frozen from shock. Unable to believe someone would do this to the girl - Rin - who was just a moment ago sparkling with joy. Tomoe finally jumped to action when the same man who started the assault grabbed Rin's kimono collar and smacked her across the face. A small tooth flying out of the girls mouth, but she did not scream. Tomoe did for her. Standing quickly, Tomoe howled furiously at the moon shortly before taking long strides on all fours towards the wounded child and the men who did not deserve to live.

When the men saw Tomoe, they froze upon the legendary fox. Having heard stories about the protector of all children from the village over. Only now did they believe Tomoe's existence as she quickly nabbed the now unconscious girl in her mouth from the man's evil clutches before carefully laying her down, and growling at the men. Taking a protective stance over the girl on all fours. Her tail flicking back and forth in anger, disgust, and hatred for the humans in front of her. She knew she couldn't kill them no matter how satisfying it may be because if she did Rin would no longer have a home and would be forced out by the village folk. And she could not touch Rin in fear she might catch her scent. She would have to protect the human girl Rin from a distance.

"I-It's the human fox! She does exist!" One man shouted as he pointed an accusing finger at Tomoe.

"You are no human man like I've ever seen," Tomoe growled, though, her voice light but demonic, "You are undeserving of the titles."

"Y-You are Tomoe the human fox, yes? The protector of children?"

Tomoe gave no reply for she was no such thing and could not lie.

"I-If you truly are the protector of all children then you must understand that Rin's stealing from the sashimi pond was wrong-"

"Silence fool, the only wrong I see here is punishing a child with fists instead of words. Now you are nothing more than grimy demons on the inside and humans on the outside. Leave my presence at once. I do not wish to inhale your filth any longer." Tomoe demanded and the men instantly bowed with shaking knees and ran towards civilization.

After a moment of silence, Tomoe glance down at the girl. She lay unconscious, blood pooling in her ajar mouth from the harsh loss of her first tooth. Tomoe stepped away from her, willing herself to resist the urge to hold her and instead stepping into the sashimi pond, grasped a fish in her palm in one graceful swoop and laid in carefully next to Rin's sleeping form. It flopped here and there, but when Tomoe smothered it with her foot, it stopped. Tomoe sighed, said a prayer for the fish then walked into the forest twenty paces away before hiding in a tree. Waiting for Rin to wake and follow her anywhere she went. Making sure nothing like tonight happens to her again even if it took the rest of her human years.


	7. Chapter 7

Rin was a lonely girl. Lived isolated in an abandoned hut, no parents to tend to her hunger pains, and from what Tomoe has seen no one cared for Rin's well being. The girl was sick over the couple of days Tomoe is watching over her. She could hear her sniffles, coughs, and rugged breath while the girl slept and they were loud enough that the hut next to hers could also hear, but they did nothing to help the girl go to sleep peacefully.

By the fourth night, Tomoe could no longer keep away from the weak girl. She couldn't stand to hear another night full of soft cries for help from the girl. She had to do something for her, but not directly take care of her. Having come up with a plan, Tomoe stalked the village from her hilltop in the wilderness and gradually made her way towards Rin's hut. It was separated from the rest of the villagers but it was just close enough that Tomoe could get caught if she wasn't careful.

Crouching low on all fours, Tomoe ducked under every window, sped past every door, and kept her ears perked as she walked through the sleepy village. Never could she be too careful when she was viewed as both a demon and angel of sorts. When Tomoe was just another foot or two away from Rin's window, she jumped in, landing in a summer-salt, and hulting in a less alert crouch. Rin was the first subject the foxes viderant green eyes landed on and was the only thing that kept her gaze as she stood slowly, soundlessly, and loomed over the sleeping girl. Her wheezing more evident the closer she stepped.

Rin gave a small sneeze, waking herself up, and wiped her nose with the back of her hand before her eyes landed on Tomoe. The girl was shocked to say the least, but no fear was seen in her dark hues. She seemed to be mystified by Tomoe's presence, almost happy someone - or something - was even in her hut. Rin was not frightened of Tomoe, but she did stare at her inhuman characteristics and wanted nothing more than to touch her white silk like tail.

They stared at one another, Rin gaping at the foxes beauty while Tomoe assessed the girl. She did not have a blanket to keep warm this chilly night nor did she have a proper bed. Just hay and straw. Tomoe watched the girl shiver slightly when a small gust of frosty wind hit her body and instantly knelt before wrapping the girl in her warm embrace.

Rin's cool skin made goose bumps appear on Tomoe's where the girl was touching her, but Tomoe did not care as she laid the two of them down. Using her tail as Rin's blanket and heated body as a proper bed. The girl drifted off to sleep without a moment to spare as Tomoe gently rocked her. Rin used Tomoe's breasts as pillows and the sound of heavy breathing - no longer wheezing - was very satisfying to the fox.

Tomoe had made up her mind to protect her from a distance three days ago when she first saw the girl, but now Tomoe was determined to stay with Rin at night and watch her during the light of day. She was going to protect the girl with her life and teach her when she was ready, or maybe not at all. Perhaps Tomoe just wanted to mother the child for as long as she can without the rules or restrictions of her fox traditions. She just wants to keep Rin in her arms forever.

It was the crack of dawn when Tomoe woke up. The sky was a dim orange and dark blue like the ocean with some of the stars still shining brightly. Tomoe glanced down at the girl to see she had her small arms wrapped around her chest while she drooled a little on her bare skin. Knowing what would happen if she stayed when the girl regained consciousness, Tomoe carefully lifted the girl off of her, placed her on her back in the bundle of straw and hay then stood and left out the window without a sound.

Tomoe wiped the drool stop off her right collarbone and headed for the forest behind the girl's house, waiting, watching patiently for the girl to start her usual day of miscellaneous tasks around the village. Rin did not have a stable title in the village as Tomoe had witnessed the second day. The young girl mostly played by herself in the morning, helped whenever someone asked, and would occasionally wander around in the forest to gape at her surroundings. Tomoe had heard rumors about the child of interest being an orphan from a separate village further north and was taken into the orphanage. The only unusual thing Tomoe could think the girl possessed was her incapability to speak. Tomoe had heard her soft voice when she was walking in the forest, talking to a butterfly, and knew that she indeed had a voice but decided not to use it. Was she scared to talk to human beings? Was she afraid to be rejected if she asked for help? Is that why she lived alone?

Whatever the reasoning, Tomoe was here now and would look after the girl. Shield her from tireless winters, defend her in her most vulnerable times, and protect her from Death's wrath.

When the sun was high East Tomoe was graced with Rin's presence as she emerged from her little, broken down hut looking rather confused and conflicted about something. Tomoe recognized the expression, but did not understand the meaning behind it. Did she lose something? Was she looking for someone? Tomoe watched the girl with glittering curiosity in her green eyes as her pure white hair blended in with the icy grey grass below her. She was not bothered by the cold touch of the blades but by how Rin was breaking out of her usual routine and headed straight for the woods just south of Tomoe's position.

The silver fox followed after the girl, hiding behind dead grey tree trunks whenever the girl peered over her shoulder out of pure suspicion she was being watched, but could not prove it. As she walked further into the forest Tomoe took cover in the pine trees, knowing the girl would never think to look above eye level.

Dawn soon turned to dusk while the girl searched endlessly for the seemingly long lost object. She had made a few circles during the day, carved a tree with a rock once or twice to refresh her mind where she was exactly, even started to make a path with rocks to help back track her steps. She only had gotten lost once over the journey but carefully made it back to her hut before the sun was entirely down. She had seemed upset when she had arrived home and Tomoe could not answer why other than she did not find what she was looking for; but what? What would be lost in the forest that was so important?

Tomoe had snuck into the village that same night, entered Rin's hut through the window, and wasted no time in coddling her frigid form. No doubt waking the girl before she drifted off into an easier sleep with a small smile on her pale lips.

The next day was not like the last. When Tomoe woke up at dawn she had not awoken naturally to the sun, but to something touching her white fox ears making them twitch uncontrollably. She was annoyed when she woke up but she choked back a growl when she saw Rin. She was awake, staring up at Tomoe while her right hand played with the short strands of silver hair on Tomoe's fox ears.

Rin smiled up at the fox, pleased to see she was still there when she woke up this time. Happy that she now had someone to spend the day with. Standing, Rin pulled Tomoe to her feet and marched out of the hut holding Tomoe's hand, fearing that the second she did she would disappear. She lead the fox straight towards the forest she wandered through the other day. A smile plastered on her face that never wavered, never faded.

Rin would occasionally gasp and point to frosted over flowers, captivated by their frozen beauty. She would pluck dying flowers and have Tomoe hold them, realizing that she wouldn't mind when Tomeo herself plucked a flower and tucked it in the girls hair.

The foxes face never changed from her bland, emotionless expression but Rin could see it in her sparkling green eyes that Tomoe was having just as much fun as she was. Which was not a lie. Tomoe was having a great day with the small child and enjoyed their silent time together.

When they made it into a clearing with grey, wilting roses with frost peaking at their petals, Rin sat in the middle of the wide area, not having to pull Tomoe down with her as she sat closely beside her before scooping her into her lap to keep her warm. The fox did not mind the girls rare usage of her words instead she relished in the lovely sound of her giggles, shocked gasps, and thoughtful grunts. She was happy she did not have to deal with questions from Rin like the other children had casted upon her. She enjoyed the comfortable silence as if Rin had already knew all that Tomoe could've told her about herself.

While they sat there, Rin started making rose crowns. She occasionally pricked her fingers, but did not cry out at the slight pain or the sight of her blood. She simply ignored her wounds, snapped off all the thorns she could find in a single stem, and continued with her work. When she was done, she presented Tomoe with a grey rose crown and did not wait for her response when she put it on the fox's head - on ear in the ring as the other did not fit in - before sitting back down on Tomoe's lap and started to make another.

Tomoe, shocked, said: "Thank you."

Rin froze upon hearing her voice for the first time and smile brightly before nodding and turning back around. As happy as a honey bee in the spring.


	8. Chapter 8

The fox and the girl were sitting in the meadow again. A week's time had passed since they had found it the first day and went to it ever since. Rin had spoken to Tomoe on a couple of rare occasions to ask the fox her name and if she likes the flower crowns she had constructed over and over again endlessly. She only spoke in single word sentences but Tomoe cherished every one of her little grunts, snorts, giggles, and words.

They had been laying on the frost covered ground, watching as the sky changed colors since dawn this morning. Rin was no longer sick. Tomoe had nursed her back to health with no medical remedies from plants and hot water. All Rin needed was to be loved and Tomoe had shared more than the girl had needed. The little girl was so happy to have Tomoe with her. Ever since she showed up the other villagers have been treating Rin nicely knowing that Tomoe was watching near by. They knew the fox was with the girl at all time since a few villagers had seen her sneaking into Rin's hut in the darkest of nights, but they did not sound the alarms. Some of them were pleased to have the legendary fox Tomoe: the human child protector with them. It was false security that said fox would do everything in her power to save the village if they were under any means of attack. But little did they know that Tomoe was selfish and only stayed because of Rin.

Rin turned her head to face Tomoe, the sun high in the sky signally in was noon. She waited for Tomoe to turn her head towards her before she said: "Rin is not my name."

Tomoe started at the girl. Her face was emotionless but her green eyes dazzled with wonder. It was the first time Rin had said a full sentence out loud. Tomoe turned on her side and supported her head on her hand. "What is it then?"

Rin looked away from Tomoe, back at the sky before whispering: "Bonnabel."

The name was foreign to Tomoe. It was not pronounced in the same Japanese dialect she has been speaking for years. But knowing its quickness, Tomoe thought this name complimented the girl.

Before Tomoe could reply Rin looked at the fox, "Don't tell."

"Why? It is a very lovely name. Why go by Rin when your real name is so much more tasteful?"

"People can't pronounce it right so they call me Rin instead."

"That can't do. You should only be called by your birth name-"

"Promise you won't tell," Rin interrupted her which made Tomoe's silver ears twitch. Tomoe look back at the sky and nodded, instantly hearing a relieved sigh from Rin afterwards.

It was quiet as Rin rolled onto her stomach to pluck flowers while Tomoe started at the treetops above.

"Bonnabel," Tomoe said as she started at the sky, Rin turned to her as she continued, "is it just you and me in the wreckage of the world? That must be so confusing for such a little girl, and I know you're going to need me here with you. But I'm losing myself and I'm afraid you're going to lose me too. Humans keep me alive, but their making me crazy, and I need to save you but who's going to save me? Please forgive me for whatever I do when I don't remember you. Bonnabel, I can feel myself slipping away."

"What do you mean, Tomoe?"

"All I want to do is stay here with you, but I fear that I'm only going to hurt you too."

"Don't say that, Tomoe. You can stay with me all you want. Together, just the two of us," Rin smiled weakly as she hugged Tomoe's side. Tomoe did not know where those words came from but they were her own and she felt especially vulnerable at the moment.

But despite that, Tomoe smiled at the girls warmth and said: "And whenever we may part, just sing this line: _If only the devil herself come by, we'd run her such a race._ " Rin nodded into her side with a smile.

There were no leaves on their dead grey branches, but they swung lively in the wind. Tomoe squinted her eyes and fired her brows when she heard something. A twig snapping only a few yards away. It was probably just an innocent animal, wandering aimlessly in search for some living plants to nibble on. But Tomoe could never be too careful with Rin around anything that could be a possible threat. After all, an innocent animal could still bite for no reason. Sitting up, Tomoe faced towards the noise, alarming Rin slightly as she sat up too.

"Tomoe?" Tomoe shushed the girl and covered her mouth with her hand as she listened to the crunching sounds which were becoming louder, closer. Closer and louder.

Tomoe stood silently, still facing where to noise was coming from as she picked up Rin. She was tense, wanting to see what the tret was before she made a hasty retreat. She found it was better to know the aponit before hand a long while ago.

Rin did not dare utter out a word or merely breath as she could now hear something crunching loudly coming closer to their medow.

Tomoe had caught the creatures scent before filling her eyes widen in horror and dashed in the other direction. Instantly hearing the growling of the animal behind her as it chased after her. A wolf. One of the foxes worst enemies in nature. If it catches Tomoe, the wolf would not hesitate to immobilize the fox and make her watch as it dined on Rin's flesh.

It was right behind her now. Only a few feet away from snapping the foxes ankle with its mighty jaws. Seeing no other option, Tomoe rushed to shove Rin onto a high branch in a tree. She was unable to insure her safety when she howled out in pain, the incisors of the wolf digging into Tomoe's thigh, clawing at the muscle around her caves and bringing her to her knees. The wolf jumped on Tomoe, trying to go for the kill by smashing her skull when Tomoe caught the wolf by the shoulders and pushed it back. Drool and foam was dripping on her face, but all she could think about was Rin. She didn't want her to stay and watch her get killed and killed herself if their wolf calls for its pack.

"Bonnabel, run!" Tomoe yelled as she wrapped her slender fingers around the wolves elbows so it couldn't go after Rin but also couldn't advance on closing in.

Rin hesitated before jumping down from her perch and sprinting in a random direction. She was going to get help for Tomoe when she saw someone who also needed help, despite its venomous hiss that was produced when the girl stepped into its clearing, she was not scared.


	9. Chapter 9

Rin looked at the creature before her. Hair a silky silver, face a smooth cream, but its eyes. Red with rage. Teeth sharp with venom. Purple marks on its cheeks jagged, threatening. Rin panted as she studied the creature. She wondered why he was in the forest all alone, he didn't seem too badly injured but he could not stand.

Then Rin remembered Tomoe. Remembered seeing the blood ooze out of Tomoe's leg as she howled out in pain. She looked behind her, hearing another screech of pain come from her protector. She panted heavier, looked back at the creature with concern in her brown almost black eyes before she turned suddenly and rushed towards the noise.

Despite Tomoe's wishes of her to run as far away as she could from the attack sight, Rin could not resist after hearing the foxes cries get cut and an eery silence fall right after. She didn't care if it was still dangerous. She didn't care if she got eaten too. She only worried about the condition of her closest friend. The one she loved the most. Even without the wolves, Rin was sure she would die if she found Tomoe in a puddle of her own blood. Green, lifeless eyes staring back at her while she cried.

She knew it was going to be bloody, a horrific sight to see, but nothing could prepare the girl for what she saw. Red blood splattered on the white paper barked trees. Snow melting from the warm blood pooling on top of the thin layer. But no matter how much Rin held her terrified gaze over the gruesome seen, she could not look away. She couldn't. Not when there was no sign of the silver fox, Tomoe.

Tears welded in Rin's eyes as a low moan and a deep frown found its way out and on to the young girl's face. She couldn't lose Tomoe this way. Not knowing whether she was alive and in excruciating pain or dead and nothing but a mangled corpse. She didn't know which one was worse as she rubbed her face. Tears starting to spill over which caused another low and painful moan escape her throat. She fell to the snow, not caring if it was cold on her already chilled kneecaps.

Rin hiccuped and cried for two minutes, then three, then five. She was wondering why Tomoe had to ever come into her life if she was just going to move out just as quickly as she came. To think she actually thought Tomoe would stay with her forever. To think this was how they were going to be separated forever. A murder seen without a body. No red drag marks in the white blanket indicating she was pulled away to eat as a snack. No, this was a meaningless murder. Nothing more than to see the unique color of red blood possessed.

Rin was finally able to see again and breathe somewhat normally after ten full minutes and she suddenly realized something: No drag marks and no bones. Tomoe was not dragged away nor was she eaten on the spot. Mystified, Rin started looking around. Hoping that Tomoe was safe somewhere, hiding until the coast was clear. Which it was, and that made her wonder where the silver fox could've went if it wasn't way from this location.

She stopped, feeling something drip on her head. The liquid substance soaking through her hair to be proven warm, then another and another. It was not raining from what Rin could see and it seemed it was only dripping on her. The very spot she stood.

Walking forwards a few steps, Rin turned around only to run up to the trunk of the tree, shouting: "Tomoe!"

Tomoe was laying on her stomach, barely clinging to a branch ten feet off the ground. One leg and her once pure white tail dangling below her. Both dripping a sticky red substance that seeped from the very leg that hung, Tomoe's right hip, and her forehead. Lines on red traveled down her silver tail until they dripped off the tip.

Rin started crying again but with a smile. Happy to see the human fox had made it out of the blood bath alive. Somewhat. She stared at the fox directly above her, calling out her name in stuttered yips of joy, hoping more than anything Tomoe would open her eyes, twitch her blood splattered ears, something to signal she was still alive. But nothing happened.

The girl started to cry harder, tears cascading down her face without a hint of yielding. She started shouting the foxes name, each one being louder and more urgent than the last. Without thinking, Rin started to push on the thin trunk of the paper white tree. Watching as Tomoe's still body started to rock back and forth, back and forth until her limp form fell out of the tree. Rin gasped, not meaning to do that, and ran to the foxes side. She shook Tomoe seeing as her eyes still refused to open before she pushed on her shoulder, making her lay on her back, and quickly brought her ear to the fox's chest. She listened closely for something, anything. A single stutter even, and she weeped when she heard the shallow thumps of the dying fox's heart. Gleeful to know Tomoe was just resting, taking a break to heal.

Lifting her head, Rin looked towards the sky, saw how it was starting to turn that pre-sunset orange she loved so much. She knew she had to be getting back and she also knew she couldn't just leave Tomoe here as vulnerable as she was but the village was too far. It would be nightfall before Rin had successfully dragged her body to her hut.

She regretted shaking her from the tree, she would've been safe from the creatures lurking the forest grounds. But now that she wasn't anymore, Rin had to come up with a plan and fast. The more she thought the more her mind kept bringing her back to the creature not too far from this location. Knowing he was too weak to stand, she knew she could trust him not to harm the human fox.

Smiling to herself, Rin grabbed Tomoe's hands and started walking backwards until the weight of the fox stopped her, and forced her to pull harder. Rin apologise often for bumping Tomoe's limp body into a tree or a rock. She was having a hard time seeing where she was going while she walked backwards and with no help from the darkening sky. But she could feel she was getting close when she started to see her own footprints in the snow from when she first crossed paths with the creature.

Walking through a bush, Rin heard the same venomous hiss but it was short lived when the creature saw what Rin was doing. Rin smiled as she tugged Tomoe to the left of the creature. A good couple feet away incase he got any ideas about a late night meal. She gently lowered the foxes pale arms back to her sides and carefully pushed the fox on her side, facing towards the creature, and finally drapped her tail over her chilled form to cover her from the cold night. Rin nodded at her work with a smile then turned to the creature, making eye contact before pointing to Tomoe's limp body and shaking her head. Not trusting this strange creature with her voice.

The creature just stared at the girl with a blank face. His eyes showing no interest, no emotion towards the blood covered girl, knowing well it was not her own but the fox's now beside him.

With that, Rin looked back to Tomoe's still limp form and sighed before turning and walking the way she came. Leaving the fox and the dog to be each others company, though, Tomoe wouldn't know of the creature.

He watched the girl disappear into the shadows before turning his gaze to the fox. Letting his eyes wander over her face. It was the color of cream with the same smooth texture. The color of blood stood out against her pale appearance but that did not distract him from her once silver hair and fox ears and tail. The bushy tail hiding her naked body, covered the wounds he saw upon her arrival, but alas, he could not smell her. Nothing but the trees they lay under came to him. Her blood - not smelling metallic but like her nothingness - did not attract unwanted attention from weak demons whom are hungry, but it did attract the creatures curiosity, Sesshomaru.


	10. Chapter 10

Tomoe was in her slumber for four days and three nights and has yet to show any sign of awakening. Rin has tried her best to heal the fox but the best she could do was stop the bleeding, while Sesshomaru tried to ignore the frantic girl whenever she came. But, when she left, Sesshomaru couldn't stop himself from staring at Tomoe. Over those four days and three chilly nights he wanted nothing more than to see the color of her eyes. The suspense to stare into them, to see them after all this time, to finally meet her in a pleasant manor, was biting at his patients. He was healed mostly, his body had patched itself together after the second day and he was able to stand; but he could not leave without seeing the silver foxes eyes.

So he stayed, and in the most chillest of nights he gave his pure white boa - made out of the finest of cottons and doused in demon blood, making it indestructible - to her. To the silver fox. Something told him he should stay to protect her, the girl - Rin - mostly, but also Tomoe. He couldn't understand it, but this strange sentiment so-to-say was odd and all the more inferriorating. Which was why he had to leave. He was started to get attached.

When Rin left that morning, after checking Tomoe's wounds and attempting to feed Sesshomaru, he stood, stared down at the fox before turning around and leaving through the forest. The sentiment grew stronger when he was out of sight from the human fox. Something inside him was telling him to turn around and head back, that he needed to protect the two beings from a force that they could not protect each other from. But from what exactly?

Sesshomaru knew the fox would protect the little human from the defence wounds on her body, no doubt from protecting the child from a lone wolf, but then what about her? She wasn't a demon. She wasn't indestructible. She was just a human fox; an odd one at that but a fox she is.

Instead of turning around, Sesshomaru calmed his needs by gripping at his boa, pulling it to his mouth and nose, and inhaled deeply. It did not smell like the sweet scent of himself, but then again it did not smell like anything but the forest. Pine trees mostly.

As Sesshomaru walked, he stumbled upon the conclusion that the fox he was yearning to see the eyes of, was not blind to scents, but nature was her smell. The musty scent of pine that blended in so clearly to the forests he shredded was her. She was not entirely invisible, not to him at least, and every time he inhaled into his boa - even when he pulled it away from his face - he could smell her. She was everywhere in his thoughts but no where near him.

But he continued to walk, never glancing back to see if she or someone fallowed. Never slowing his pace to waste time or speed up to diminish his thoughts about the girls while he ventured to find his servant Jaken.

This, he thought, is for the best.

Tomoe lay limp on the frost covered blades of grass Rin had left her in and where Sesshomaru silently stood guard. She was unconscious, her body taking as much time as it needed to heal itself without needing the assistance of human medical care, or potions. All it needed was a little time… and a little push of a song to get her going.

In Tomoe's slumber, she could smell blood being shed, urgent screams of both animals and human beings. Their cries nor delicious smelling red ink did not wake the fox, though, it was not until she could hear her - hear Rin - in the distance calling to her. Using Tomoe's summoning song to call for help from her protector while she ran for her life into the direction she was in from the very wolf who tried to slaughter them both four days back.

" _If only the devil herself come by, we'd run her such a race."_

Tomoe's ears twitched at the sentence, but she did not make move to rescue the girl she desired to hold most.

" _If only the devil herself come by, we'd run her such a race."_ Rin called to her again as hot, salty tears rain down her dirty face. She could hear the wolf's feet pounding on the soft dirt despite her loud intake of breath and hammering heart. As it drew closer she drew more frantic, becoming more clumsy with her steps as seeing became hard with the tears, but Tomoe did not respond besides a simple twitch of one ear and a flick of the tip of her tail.

Unable to see, Rin tripped on what she hoped to be a tree root rather than her other foot, but she did not have time to think it over when the wolf was suddenly on top of her. A loud scream ripped through the forest as Rin's body was punctured with sharp teeth, causing Sesshomaru to stop in his tracks with his servant Jaken and for Tomoe to finally snap open her green eyes. But Tomoe's eyes were not filled with questions when she awoke in a place unfamiliar. They were filled to the brim of worry as she listened to Rin's ear piercing scream cut short all of a sudden.

Tomoe stumbled forward, not bothering with standing as she sprinted on all fours towards the child. Fear closing in on all sides when she neared the spot where Rin supposedly was and she was frozen with shock when her wide eyes landed on Rin's frail form lying bloody on the dirt.

Tomoe stared wide eyed, mouth ajar at the brutal scene before her. She couldn't breath as it was like someone had punched her in the chest fifty times over without stopping. Tears rushed down her pale cheeks without her realization as she fell back on her rear, her arms hanging loosely as she stared at the body. Finally, Tomoe was able to suck in as much air her lung could manage and let out a long scream at the sky.

It was not a mournful howl like the ones she sounded when past children died. It was full of pain, and misery, and despair, and anger, and resentment, and longing, and frustration, and just about every other emotion she has been bottling inside since Riku's death.

Tomoe bit her lip as a high pitched whine escaped her tight chest. She crawled to Rin's body before carefully rolling Rin onto her back and weeping into the girl's neck when she was held tightly in Tomoe's grasp while her tail wrapped around the pare, trying to preserve whatever warmth Rin had left. The fox cried to the sky again, mentally cursing at the Gods for not standing in her place and protecting Rin this one time.

She'll never get to see her precious face, or whisper words in her ear to make her feel safe. She'll never get to hold her tight when she can't sleep at night again. She'll never get to sing her a lullaby to calm her down. She'll never get to sleep with her in her arms all bundled in her tail to keep them warm. She'll never get to hear her laugh or giggle. There are many things Tomoe will not be able to do anymore with Rin, but the hardest part was knowing she will have to let go of her and never see her again.

But, not right now. Right now, all Tomoe wanted to do was weep with her one and only true child in her arms. The only child who wanted her almost as much as Tomoe did, but also the child that the fox could never have the chance to watch grow up. And to teach her the way of the world.

Tomoe held Rin close to her throbbing heart, hoping more than anything that it'll inspire hers to pick up again. She wished this was nothing more than a nightmare, that she was still in her healing slumber. But this was reality. In this place, in this moment, in this time… Rin was gone. Forever.

Sesshomaru was frozen from Rin's deafening scream and couldn't breath when - what he assumed to be Tomoe's - cut through the air not a moment later. He ignored Jaken's comments as he stared into the forest where he came from over his shoulder. He didn't want to rush to the fox's and the girl's aid so quickly with Jaken around. He had to keep his emotionless facade around his servant, but he was panicked. He could smell human blood - Rin's blood - and hear Tomoe's sorrowful cries. He knew something terrible had happened and he couldn't just walk away before seeing what is was that had happened in his absence. In a way, Sesshomaru felt responsible for this incident. He felt if he hadn't left then he would've been able to save them both from whatever it was that caused them so much heartbreak.

Turning around, Sesshomaru started walking towards the smell of Rin's blood. He was walking fast as he ignored Jaken's protest for him to wait. All he could think about was what could have happened. As he got closer he caught the scent of wolves in the village and one in the patch of forest they were residing in.

He didn't notice as he picked up the pace when he heard Tomoe's loud whimpers and cries. But he stopped abruptly when he saw the silver fox's crumpled form hunched over with her back facing him. Sesshomaru couldn't think when his eyes landed on Rin's lifeless, half lidded eyes with blood smeared with tears on her cheeks as her chin was placed on the fox's shoulder.

"My Lord Sessh-" Jaken began but he stopped when Tomoe suddenly whipped around with a slight gasp.

Sesshomaru's breath locked into his lungs when his eyes found their way to the glassy looking green ones of the silver fox in front of him. He has yet to learn her name as she does to him but they did not give each other the chance when Sesshomaru grabbed the handle of his pulsing sward - the Tenseiga, which caused Tomoe to crouch in a protective stance on all fours over Rin's corpse.

Tomoe growled, green eyes boring into the demon's before her as she spoke, "Mine. Don't touch." Her tail swayed, a sign she is ready to attack.

Sesshomaru noted her tail, her intimidating voice, and protective structure over the obviously dead child. But, this demon could not back away from a challenge in front of Jaken. He had to prove her was a master worth serving. With that, he unsheathed Tenseiga and pointed it in between Tomoe's eyebrows, only a centimeter away from poking a small hole into the human fox's forehead. But Tomoe did not give as much as a blink in response as she stared Sesshomaru down.

"Words," Sesshomaru stared after a moment of silence, "are not enough to enlighten your obvious agony."

Tomoe growled, seeing as 'agony' was not a strong enough word for what she felt in these moments, but despite her warning, Sesshomaru continued, "And I can't imagine what your emotions are leading you towards, but do understand I did not come here to grapple over your sorrow just the opposite."

Tomoe was confused which angered her. She wondered why this demon was speaking to her like felt the slightest bit of remorse for Rin. And she also questioned the sward and why he was pointing it at her if he meant no harm.

Tomoe felt threatened and as a result, pulled Rin closer to her body as she growled low and menacing. Another warning for the demon to back off. She voiced her request to be left this instant but he did not move in the way she wanted. Instead, he lounged at her. Not giving her time to react when he immobilized her by placing one heavy foot on her wrist behind her back as he swiped his sword down at Rin, missing her body by a few inches.

Tomoe screamed, thinking the demon just made her child into mince meat and rushed to Rin's aid when Sesshomaru let up his foot. But Tomoe was at a loss for words when she found no new marking on Rin as she held her to her chest and started to cry again when Rin's brown almost black eyes blinked once, then twice, three times before she looked straight into Tomoe's mistified eyes. The fox couldn't stop crying as she held Rin, but Rin was more concerned with the demon who just brought her back.

She smiled before hugging Tomoe, happy to see she was finally awake and seemed to be alright.


	11. Chapter 11

To reasons unknown to Tomoe, Rin followed the dog demon Sesshomaru right after her revival and of course - Tomoe being Tomoe and for caring for Rin immensely - she also followed. The thought of parting with Rin after just getting her back had rattled her brain with emotional pain she hadn't felt for years. She felt like she knew Rin longer than a month. She cared for the girl like she had given birth to her herself.

Given this fact, Tomoe made sure to carefully watch Rin as she continuously ran ahead of the small pack to gape at frozen over flowers while Tomoe stayed a few feet behind Sesshomaru. Watching his every move too, if he were to made a false move towards Rin.

From time to time, Rin would be passed by the demon dog while she stared in wonder at something on the ground that caught her attention and Tomoe would have to push her along to urge her to continue moving forward. The girl would then run to the front of the group again, giggling happily as she did so. The occasional stops always made Sesshomaru glanced behind his shoulder to see if they were still following behind but before him and the fox could meet each other's gaze, he would look forward again. He didn't care if they followed him. He knew that the girl was tagging along because she was grateful for him saving her life while Tomoe was there to watch over her. He didn't even care that Tomoe wasn't wearing anything to cover her human figure. he understood that she was mostly animal and had a strong feeling that the sense of feeling free was one of Tomoe's pleasures in life.

And no matter how uncomfortable it made Jaken feel to be stalked by the pair, he didn't dare scare them off.

Tomoe and Sesshomaru never talked or made eye contact was they ventured west through thick woodlands. They had learned each other's names by Jaken asking the dog demon a question and Rin urging the human fox to gaze at a particularly beautiful flower just off the path. Other all, it was quiet aside from Rin's giggling and Jaken's continuous rant of annoyance towards the girl. Tomoe nor Sesshomaru made a noise as they walked, both quiet as they watched each other carefully. Neither of them being able to read the others bland expression except for the faint smile that pulled on Tomoe's lips when Rin smiled up at her. Sesshomaru seemed to be able to catch everyone of those smiles without being detected by the fox; but, though she never caught him looking, she could feel his golden eyes on her face often.

It was a few hours before sunset when Rin waited for Tomoe to be by her side before she continued walking. Taking the foxes hand, Rin swing their hand between them before asking: "Where do you think we're going, Tomoe?"

Tomoe glanced up, locking eyes with Sesshomaru before looking back to Rin as they continued to walk. "

"I cannot say for certain where this path with lead but wherever our final destination will be, it will be warm." Content with Tomoe's answer for now, Rin smiled brighter before looking ahead, still holding the human foxes hand. Tomoe felt Sesshomaru slightly tence upon hearing Tomoe's naturally soft and quiet voice. This being the first time he heard her talking normally instead of yelling in greife. But she didn't say anything as he continued forward.

Tomoe continued to gaze down at the small human girl. Stared at their intertwined hands. She had never felt something fit so perfectly in one space before. It felt so natural, so right to Tomoe to hold Rin's hand. It was as if it was a forgotten memory they shared since the beginning of time. It made her feel so at peace, it pained her to have to let go of her small hand as she yawed.

Sesshomaru yielded upon hearing Rin yawn as well as Tomoe. Both were wondering when it would be a good time to rest for the night. They were mostly waiting for Rin to say something before they stopped.

Rin couldn't stop rubbing her eyes, the eventful day having worn her out entirely. Pick her up, Tomoe followed Sesshomaru off of the path and into a nearby clearing. There, Sesshomaru ordered Jaken to make a fire and Tomoe had to take a few deep breaths to steady her uneasy heart before stepping towards the licking orange and yellow flames. She sat Rin down in front of the fire and backed away swiftly.

Before Rin could ask any questions, Tomoe took this time to speak, "I'll go find something for you to eat Rin. Sit tight." She waited for Rin to nod before looking to Sesshomaru, meeting his gaze, nodding towards Rin as to say _watch over her for me_ , then she walked out of the small clearing. Leaving Sesshomaru and Jaken to stare after her while Rin held her hands towards the fire to get them warm.

Tomoe returned with two decent sized fish, her silver tail, ears, and long hair damp from having to splash about in the water but she wasn't questioned as she set one fish on Rin's lap for her to cook while she took a couple steps back before sitting and digging into her meal for the night. It wasn't human flesh or blood but it would have to do for now, at least.

It was silent as Rin, Tomoe, and Jaken ate - Rin having offered the small green demon half of hers since she wasn't certain she was going to finish it all. Which left Sesshomaru to watch as he sat, leaning against the thick trunk of a tree.

Glancing over towards Sesshomaru, she caught him staring at her. Assuming he was hungry as well, Tomoe ripped off a piece of fish and extended it towards him. He didn't react as his gaze lingered on her blank face. Blood staining the pale skin of her cheeks and lips, even the tip of her nose and some of her hair. He shifted his eyes to her outstretched hand, seeing it was covered in blood as well as the piece of meat dripped the red liquid onto the dirt below. When he looked away, Tomoe hesitated before shoving the piece into her mouth without looking away from him.

She couldn't read him, couldn't predict what he was going to do next. She was sure he was going to take the fish and found herself mystified when he did not give it a second glance. He spent more time looking upon her messy face rather than the food in her hand.

Maybe, she thought, demons don't need to eat.

But that thought was absurd. Every being had to consume something for energy and to grow stronger. Perhaps, he just disliked fish.

Whatever the reasoning, Tomoe didn't want to risk how he would react if she kept push bits of raw fish towards him and kept her gaze on Rin. The girl had just about eaten all of the meat and had stuck her hand inside the fish head. She giggled to herself as she moved the mouth and made it speak in an unusual voice.

Tomoe couldn't help but smile - despite feeling Sesshomaru's ever ending stare on her back - as she slowly unraveled herself from her sitting position and crawled towards Rin. She gently bit into the collar of her tattered kimono and dragged her away from the fire before setting her in her lap. Rin - having dropped the fish head - rested her forehead on the human fox's breasts as she tried to muffle a yawn. Tomoe laid down on her side and curled her silver tail around Rin so she was entirely covered.

Muffling another yawn, Rin said: "Do you know any songs, Tomoe?"

Under her own tail as well, Rin wasn't able to see the small smile that pulled on Tomoe's face as she brushed some of the girl's black locks away from her eyes.

"One or two," Tomoe whispered.

"Can you sing one to me?" Rin yawned again, already half asleep in the human fox's warm embrace.

Without another word, Tomoe smiled as she started to sing.

" _Hush now, child  
Close your eyes and sleep  
Waltzing the waves  
Diving in the deep_

 _Stars are shining bright  
The wind is on the rise  
Whispering words  
of long lost lullabies_

 _Oh won't you come with me  
Where the moon is made of gold  
And in the morning sun  
We'll be sailing_

 _Oh won't you come with me  
Where the ocean meets the sky  
And as the clouds roll by  
We'll sing the song of the sea_

 _I had a dream last night  
And heard the sweetest sound  
I saw a great white light  
And dancers in the round_

 _Castles in the sand  
Cradles in the trees  
Don't cry, I'll see you by and by_

 _Oh won't you come with me  
Where the moon is made of gold  
And in the morning sun  
We'll be sailing_

 _Oh won't you come with me  
Where the ocean meets the sky  
And as the clouds roll by  
We'll sing the song of the sea_"

Her voice was like honey toned silk, even and smooth. Not a single break in her voice even while she hummed the last verse to lull Rin into a deeper sleep.

Hearing another yawn, Tomoe peaked out of the cover of her tail to see that Jaken had fallen asleep to her tune also. But it was not the same result when she glance towards Sesshomaru, having met his waiting gaze, they stared at each other.

There was no visible emotion on his face or hers as they looked at the other, but in Sesshomaru's golden eyes Tomoe could see wonder and curiosity. All the while Sesshomaru was having a harder reading. Her eyes were just as emotionless as her expressionless face. She was stone, unblinking, unmoving. The only way he knew she was still alive was her ears twitched every once in awhile from the light - but frost bitten - wind. He could see nothing beyond her pale mask but her green hues reflecting the stars and moon.

Her eyes and her soft voice he heard not a moment ago were the only things that kept his unfaltering gaze on the human fox.

Tomoe, having grown slight uncomfortable after a few seconds of Sesshomaru's intense stare, shifted herself back under her own tail and hugged Rin closer.

Even as Tomoe and Rin slept, Sesshomaru could not tear his gaze away; though, it was just her silver tail he could see. He stiffened when Rin started to stir to face away from Tomoe - the body heat between them becoming too hot for her to handle - but Sesshomaru relaxed with the stirring ceased.

Now, he could see Tomoe's face for her tail was pulled away from her during Rin's struggle to get out of her tight grip. Sesshomaru studied her face. Tomoe's jaw was slack, helping him see her sharp incisors as she breathed evenly through her mouth. A small line of drool pooling on the soft grass she lay upon but he wasn't affected. He looked to her eyes. Watched them move under pale lids as her eyebrows and ears twitched from time to time.

He wondered what she was dreaming when a small smile pulled at her lips, making him twitch too.


	12. Chapter 12

_Hold fast to dreams_

 _For if dreams die_

 _Life is a broken-winged bird_

 _That cannot fly_

 _Hold fast to dreams_

 _For when dreams go_

 _Life is a barren field_

 _Frozen with snow…_

Her green eyes opened to gaze upon a world of white. Snow had fallen, covering every inch of each green blade in the field they took shelter in. A thin layer of the white powder sticking to her own pale skin and tail, but she was not cold. Her thick skin and warm fur would not allow her to freeze.

Shifting her gaze, she expected to see Rin under her tail, in her arms, keeping warm as she clung to her chest. But she was surprised to see nothing but more snow. Panic quickly flooded her mind and she sat up with an uneasy feeling in her chest. Where could she be?

Before she could start conducting any type of search, Tomoe could feel Sesshomaru's gaze burning on her concerned face. She looked to him, hoping she would give an answer as to where Rin might be, when he shifted his golden hues away from hers and pulled back the top layer of his clothing. Under his top layer was Rin, snuggling against a light blue bottom layer of clothing. She was sleeping and seemed to shiver slightly from the chilly breeze that nipped at her skin.

Tomoe didn't know how to respond to the sight before her. Weather to be thankful that the dog demon was so considerate as to not let Rin freeze, or to be upset that he dare take her out of her arms to keep her warm rather than her.

The fox responded by crawling on her hands and knees towards the demon and the girl before sitting down to the right of Sesshomaru. Despite feeling Sesshomaru's stone cold gaze, Tomoe kept hers on Rin as she reached a pale hand towards his chest, towards the girl's sleeping face, and gently brushed the back of her hand against her cheek.

The simple touch sent warmth running down Tomoe's spine and she couldn't help but smile when Rin started to wake up. She knew she was the cause of her awakening, with her chilled hand, but she felt no guilt and saw no anger in her sleepy eyes as they blinked open.

Eyes falling upon Tomoe's face caused Rin's lips to pull into a smile. Tomoe couldn't resist smiling back and ignored the continuous stare from the male demon. As Rin crawled away from his warmth and into Tomoe's embrace, he watched as the fox's eyes melted any ice they held as soon as they caught sight of Rin's smile. He watched as her face flushed with color was she nuzzled her cold nose into Rin's neck. He watched as her ears twitched from hearing the girl's laughter and held her with care.

Then he stood. It was so abrupt it caused the pare to freeze. Rin staring up at him in curiosity as Tomoe's green eyes returned their icy glare as, she too, stared up at him. That's when Jaken came running into the camp. Tomoe had not noticed his absence until now.

"My Lord! My Lord! I have found a river full of fish for the fox and the girl as instructed."

Walking in the direction Jaken was pointing with his staff, Sesshomaru didn't care glancing down at him as he said, "Good work, Jaken." Then he looked back to Tomoe and Rin. Both were staring at him. Rin's gaze was full of praise while Tomoe's was full of curiosity. Why was he concerned with their eating habits?

Without removing her clueless gaze, Tomoe stood with Rin in her arms - not wanting her bare feet to freeze from the snow - and strided towards Sesshomaru. She didn't walk in front of him - still suspicious of him - and let him and the weaker servant demon lead the way.

Her steps silent in the powdered snow, Sesshomaru occasionally glanced over his shoulder to make sure she was still following behind him while Jaken droned on and on about the difficulty of finding a freshwater river that wasn't frozen over yet and had non-poisonous food. For some reason, Sesshomaru didn't want to look away from the fox and the girl in fear that they were going to disappear or were apart of a dream he would forget the moment he woke up. It was getting to the point to where he was possessive of where she step, straining his ears to hear something snap or crack under them, but his attempt was futile. It was in her nature not to make a sound that would disturb the peace around her. He could barely make out her heartbeat when he searched for it and her voice sounded strained from the unnatural misuse of it. Quiet she was, timid in losing what was important to her, but at the same time dull in what was happening around her. She seemed to be the only being Sesshomaru couldn't understand and that irritated him.

He had met her kind before. They were thieving creatures. More animal than human in personality. Fought often about their opinions and stole whatever they wanted whenever they pleased. Sesshomaru had killed quite a few of her kind, having caught them stealing from him, but when he first saw Tomoe, he knew she was different.

Her words were genuine, her actions were pure to the fullest extent, she never gave off the impression that she was able to hurt anything without a proper reasoning. And her scent. Her scent was what sealed the lock on the label Sesshomaru had created for her. Pure like the forest around then. She had done nothing that would taint her smell other than try to help wherever she could even if others thought it was wrong. At times, she was more animal than human like her relative, but more than not, she was human with odd characteristics. Her ears, tail, hair color, and lack of clothing the only sign that she wasn't just human.

Looking back again, Sesshomaru's eyes widened and he nearly gasped when he didn't see Tomoe or Rin behind him but he stopped himself in time. He froze, staring at the spot they were supposed to be, then turned to ask Jaken where they had gone when he found him gone too. Sesshomaru was alone. Something coiled around his chest, making it hard to breath, but as he strained for air he heard laughter just a few step in the opposite direction of where he was going. The thing once coiled around his lungs loosened, his breathing back to a normal steady pace.

Walking through some brush, Sesshomaru found Jaken and Tomoe standing in a shallow, slow flowing river and Rin sat on a large snow covered rock by the edge. She giggled as Jaken tried to catch fish with his bare hands to show up Tomoe but they kept slipping out of his grasp. Whenever Tomoe would catch a fish she would hold it in the water, not wanting to kill it, and waited as she watched Jaken struggle to even touch one before it swam down river.

Sesshomaru watched the humorous scene unfold behind Rin, caught himself smiling, and quickly erased any trace that one was there a second ago. But he didn't catch himself fast enough. His eyes locked with Tomoe as he tried to compose himself. She was also trying to compose herself from being slightly shocked from seeing his face turn to one of pure joy for a mere second, but the fish in her grasp suddenly struggled in her loosening grip to get away. Frigid water splashed on her torso and face, causing her to yelp slightly, stand straight to wipe her eyes, only to lose her footing and fall flat on her bottom.

Rin and Jaken blurted out laughing, Sesshomaru staring at her with uncontrollable concern, all the while Tomoe stood to ring out her tail. Not caring in the slightest.

Rin was laughing so hard, she had to hold her sides. Her face flushed with laughter as she didn't even try to calm herself down. She struggled to keep her balance on the icy rock and Tomoe picked her up before she could fall into the water and started walking with Jaken at her side to follow Sesshomaru again. While he was lost in his thoughts, Tomoe and Rin -even Jaken - had already caught and eaten some fish. They were just messing around until Sesshomaru was back.

With Sesshomaru leading the pack again, Rin was running around now. Looking at all the glossed over flowers and even picked a few to create a flower crown ladder on. Jaken occasionally complained about the noisy girl but neither Tomoe or Sesshomaru were bothered by it.

They walked side by side now. Tomoe keeping her gaze on Rin to make sure she stayed on the path they were following while she ignored the sideways glances Sesshomaru gave her every couple of minutes. But then, the walking stopped. In front of them was a bridge. It looked to be a few years old with a couple of the wood planks missing, but then group wasn't intimidated by its sudden appearance.

Tomoe took a step forwards to test how fast it would be, but before she could take another Sesshomaru's arm shot in front of her. They met each other's gaze, having a silent conversation of: _What are you doing?_ and _Trying to not have you killed._ After a moment, Tomoe backed down and looked away. Letting Sesshomaru take the first step on the cickeddy bridge. Tomoe could hear the wood panel crack slightly under his weight but it held its promise of being stable. Looking back at the group, Sesshomaru seemed to be okay with the idea of crossing and turned back around before taking another slow and careful step. Once he seemed to get the hang of it he walked with ease, Jaken quickly following behind his Lord.

Tomoe took Rin's hand before she could step on and placed it on the railing and slightly pushed her along. She wasn't particularly fond of heights but she couldn't show Rin that she was afraid. With each step, the wood cracked in an unnerving way but held its post. Tomoe wanted to get off as fast as she could, but she didn't want to rush Rin and she didn't want to carry her across in fear a panel couldn't hold the two of them at once.

It was slow, but they were going to make it. Sesshomaru and Jaken just a few steps ahead of them. This was the first time Sesshomaru has ever heard something make a sound under Tomoe's weight and he was starting to get anxious. It sounded like a panel could snap at any moment below her feet and he wouldn't be able to grab her fast enough. Unfortunately, his fear came true.

In the middle of the bridge, Rin stepped on a panel that Tomoe instantly didn't like. She scooped up the little girl in her arms and stepped over the panel before setting her on a more sturdy one a couple panels away. But she wasn't paying any mind to the one she was on.

It snapped as soon as she put all her weight on it. She was quick to push Rin away from the danger as she started to freefall but before she could entirely be out of reach from the bridge, something caught her wrist, holding it tight. A jolt a electricity instantly running though her entire being.

"My Lord!" Jaken yelled.

"Tomoe!" Rin cried.

Sesshomaru was laying flat on his stomach as his hand grasped firmly to Tomoe's wrist to save her from certain death by sharp, jagged rocks below. Tomoe's ears twitched at the sound of the panels cracking under his weight. Any moment the whole bridge was about to come crashing down.

Tomoe gasped at the situation and shock her gaze at Rin. "Get off the bridge Rin. It's no longer safe for you to be on." her voice was calm as she tried not to scare the girl about to cry.

"But Tomoe-"

"Jaken," Sesshomaru interrupted, making Tomoe's gaze meet his. "Escort Rin off as safely as you possibly can."

"Y-Yes My Lord!" Jaken nodded before taking Rin's hand and running the rest of the way off the bridge.

Once Tomoe could hear their feet land on solid dirt, she relaxed somewhat. At least Rin was safe. But now there was a new worry at the forefront of her mind.

"If you don't let go soon, you'll die to," Tomoe stated.

Sesshomaru fet his eyes widen and mouth gape open in shock. He composed himself before he answered. "A fox worried about a demon? That's new."

It was their first conversation together, their first skin to skin contact, their first life or death situation, and she was worried about his when she was the one in most danger?

"If we both die, who will look after Rin?" She was serious. He didn't know how to answer and just stared down at her as she continued. "The panels won't hold long, in fact, this whole bridge is going to crumble any second if you don't hurry up and let go."

"Who said I was going to let you go?"

A jolt ran up her spine, to her wrist, and shocked the demon. Both payed no mind to it though.

"A demon trying to save a fox," Tomoe chuckled once, making him blink in surprise. She never smiled at him before. "Now that's new."

In the back on his mind, he suddenly had a new inspiration to save her. Not just to figure her out but for another reason unknown to him. Why was he so desperate to save her all of a sudden? He didn't asked her to tag along, but then again, she didn't ask - or want - him to save Rin from Death's grasp.

Sesshomaru sighed, "No more nonsense, Fox. Do you think you can grab my other hand?" He slowly shifted his weight to extend his other hand towards her. The wood cracking even more.

She looked away from the panels to his face with a look of worry, the ice in her green eyes gone as she gaped at him.

"If I grab it, they'll break."

"Trust me. We're not going to die today. I'll make sure of it."

After a moment of staring up at him, she looked to his hand and slowly reached up to take it. Within seconds of the contact the wood split and Tomoe clenched her eyes shut, waiting for the feel of freefall and a harsh impact.

"Open your eyes," Sesshomaru demanded, and thought she was reluctant, she did as told and found herself holding fistfulls of Sesshomaru's outter layer of his kimono as he held her securely in his arms. They were off the bridge.

"Tomoe!" Rin came running up with tears streaming down her face. Tomoe quickly got out of Sesshomaru's arms and embraced Rin on her knees.

"No need for tears Rin. I'm alright. Sesshomaru saved me," Tomoe soothed the girl and said demon froze upon hearing his name escaped her lips mid step. It was light, and easily rolled off her tongue. He had a sudden urge to make her say it again, but he quickly composed himself and walked away before he did anything rash.

As the group followed behind him, he couldn't help but look at his right hand as he walked. This was the hand that shot out to save her without any concern for his own safety. He didn't think twice about saving her, in fact, he didn't think at all. It was felt natural to save her, as if he had been saving her from untimely death since the beginning of time. And what was with the jolts of electricity when they first made contact?

His thoughts were cut short when she stepped on something unusual and stopped to see what it was. Everyone crowding around it, but Rin was the first to speak.

"Pretty!" she squealed and picked up the object. It had a painting of a mermaid on it and strange handwriting no one in the group could read. It was like it was in a different language.

Tomoe kneeled and sniffed the object in Rin's grasp. It smelled familiar but the scent was so faint only Tomoe could pick it up.

"What is it?" Jaken asked.

"It smells like…" she took another sniff and knitted her eyebrows together before looking up at Sesshomaru. "Like Kagoma…"


	13. Chapter 13

Having made up camp, Jaken and Rin looked at what was discovered only hours ago. It seemed to be what humans called 'a photo collection'. It had hard front and back covers with slick feeling pages in between and on each page was a new painting of the same mermaid. No one in the group could read the writing or even make out a single familiar looking character. It was strange indeed and had captured Tomoe's attention as well before she go board and gave it back to Rin after a few seconds.

Tomoe was resting in the snow cover grass, staring through the canopy of trees to gaze among the stars as Sesshomaru sat with his back against a tree, eyes closed as he listened to Jaken's and Rin's conversation.

"It's that stupid wench's thing, Rin! Lets burn it!"

"No! We can't burn someone else's property! That's wrong, Jaken! Right, Tomoe?" Rin glanced over at Tomoe as she hugged the object to her chest. She was always the deciding vote in their fights.

Tomoe raised her right hand towards the sky, trying to reach the stars. She didn't hear Rin. The stars made her think about other galaxies, other beings that could be out there who she still had yet to meet. The stars made her feel small but then again they made her feel as though she was never truly alone. They made her wonder if stars were more than hot gas emitting light billions of light years away. They made her wonder about life and death. And as she laid there - staring up at them now - was no exception.

Everyone was looking to Tomoe now, even Sesshomaru. Curiosity evident in their pupils even in the demon's. Feeling their eyes on her, Tomoe shifted her head to look at them.

"Yes?" she questioned and Rin smiled instantly.

"See! Tomoe agrees with me!"

"She always agrees with you, you little human wench!" Jaken cursed and Tomoe sighed, returning her gaze to the stars.

"If you don't stop fighting, I'll take it back to its rightful owner," Tomoe said, her mother side kicking into gear. She had said that quite a few times over the years. It was ice to say it again. She smiled up at the night sky, ignoring Sesshomaru's gaze like usual.

"What - but I wanna keep it, Tomoe," Rin pouted, hugging it to her chest again.

"You can't even read it. No one can!" Jaken argued, trying to take the object from Rin to burn it in the fire. But she kept her grip tight.

"I just like the pictures, okay?" Rin said, yanking out of Jaken's grasp and giggled as he landed on his bottom from the fall.

Tired of hearing them fight, Sesshomaru stood, nabbed the object from Rin and stepped on Jaken. "Enough. We are to return this human device in the tomorrow. Any objections will go unheard or unconcerned. Understood?"

Turning sheepish, Rin watched her foot matt the snow and nodded slightly. While Jaken let out a continuous string of 'Yes' to get the weight of the foot off of him.

Sesshomaru sat back down at his post and tucked the object in between his armor and outer layer of his kimono before closing his eyes.

Rin sighed and walked over to where Tomoe lay. She laid down next to her and stared up at the stars as well before yawning and snuggling into Tomoe's side. As she shifted, Tomoe rolled on her side and wrapped the girl in her tail's warmth. It could snow again and she didn't intend on Sesshomaru stealing Rin from her again.

The sun was high in the sky as they walk, having packed up camp at sunrise. They were following Tomoe's nose to track Kagome and return what was found. They were close, the unusual smell of the human girl becoming stronger and soon Sesshomaru could smell her too, but they could also smell InuYasha nearby as well.

Slowing down his pace, Sesshomaru grabbed Tomoe's hand to make her stop and let go as soon as another current of electricity rushed through his arm.

"Something the matter?" Tomoe asked, her face dull with no interest in what he had to say but it was polite to ask.

Sesshomaru took out the object from his armor and clothing and handed it to Tomoe. "I can't go near that area of the forest. I'll watch over Rin while we wait for your return."

She could tell that he was lying, but she couldn't understand the reason why. Did the presence of another demon intimidate him? Or did he not want to indulge in a fight with Rin around? Whatever the reasoning, Tomoe didn't ask and just took the object before running in the direction Kagome was in so that she will only leave Rin for a short amount of time.

Entering the clearing, Tomoe slowed her pace to a light jog down the ice patched hill. Her tail wagged behind her as a smile smile pulled at her lips. "Kagome!" she called. She didn't want to frighten the human as she tried to make her presence seem friendly by waving her hand over her head in a kind human greeting she's seen been done many times.

Kagome twirled around in her spot in a hasty manner, having recognized the voice. "Tomoe?!" she gaped as she watched the fox slowly but surely close the distance between them. She was so shocked, she went to take a step back, put her weight on some thick ice and started to fall.

Tomoe's hand stopped waving when she saw Kagome was about to fall into an old well. She was quick the run and grab the front of her shirt when she slipped on the same patch of ice and started to fall with her. The object falling out of her grasp, but that was the last of her worries when a blinding light burned her sensitive eyes and she was suddenly engulfed in a world of bright lights and color. She couldn't open her eyes.

It felt like they were falling for an eternity before they finally hit the ground. Their limbs intertwined with each other as Tomoe just laid there, staring up at something other than the sky while Kagome moaned and tried to sit up, but froze when her hand cupped Tomoe's brest. Kagome squeaked and her once pale face was consumed by a deep shade of red as she pulled her hand away and sat up without touching the fox below her.

"T-Tomoe!? What are you doing here?!"

Tomoe sat up and rubbed her head from hitting it on the bottom of the well. Her other hand help but the object that got her into this mess. "I was trying to return something of yours," she said before looking up again and smelling the air. This place was not the forest she had wandered out of or the same well she had fallen into. "Where are we?"

Kagome stared at the object in the fox's hand before she realized something very important and gripped the sides of her head, tugging at her hear.

"Oh no. No, no, no! You can't be here Tomoe!" Kagome wasn't angry, but seemed to be in a panicked state. She was whispering, but loudly as she shook her head.

Standing, Tomoe brushed the dirt off her tail and started to climb her way out of the well by the hanging vines. "Fine. Then I'll go back-"

"Wait!" Kagome pulled her back down by her hips making her fall on her butt. Tomoe was starting to get annoyed, her animal side starting to appear.

"What-" she growled, "do you want from me then? I returned the… thing, didn't I?"

Kagome's hands flew up in surrender, but Tomoe didn't understand that human gesture at all. It confused her. The human's eyes were wide with fear as she waved her hands back and forth. "I-I'm sorry. It's just… we're um, we're… in a different village at the moment and I don't want them to hurt you is all. They hunt foxes, foxes like you Tomoe." Tomoe's ears perked at the statement and she straightened from her crouch.

"How did we end up here?"

"Um, well… Th-The well is on their land and is actually a fox catcher. Whenever a fox is nearby a bright light grabs them and pulls them in. And, and normally they can't get out but since I'm just a human I can help you escape. But you've got to let me check to see if the coast is clear or not, okay? Then we have to give you a disguise. Do you understand Tomoe?"

It was obvious Kagome was lying, her scent was everywhere from being nervous but Tomoe couldn't understand why she would lie to her. She decided to play along with this human's game then get answers later. She was not a stupid fox. She knew they were in a different area altogether.

Keeping a dull face, Tomoe sat, staring up at Kagome. Sitting with her feet together and knees pointing out, Kagome averted her eyes from the revealing pose, though, Tomoe's long hair covered her women hood just fine.

"Fine," Tomoe said. "I shall stay until you come back."

Kagome nodded, still not looking at her and started to climb out of the well. Tomoe's ears twitched from hearing something slide open then close. She could hear more humans outside as they greeted Kagome and asked about her trip. The girl stuttered her short reply as she rushed inside a different complex. Tomoe could even hear her muttering to herself as she tried to find something before running out and towards the place Tomoe was 'trapped' in.

Her ears twitched at hearing something above her open and close before Kagome's head popped over the side of the well.

"Here Tomoe," Kagome said as she tossed something down the well, "Put this on and you should be able to get out without getting noticed."

Untangling whatever it was she through to her, Tomoe played along, "How so?" She stared at the rectangle shaped, solid colored cloth in her arms dully before standing up at Kagome. She wasn't stupid. She knew what a sheet was. Lady Kaede used to supply her with seats all the time.

"It's an… invisibility cloak! Only I can see you when you have it over yourself because I made it myself."

Tomoe resisted the urge to laugh and bit the inside of her cheek as she wrapped the sheet around herself and started to climb out. This was starting to get out of hand but she wanted to see what would happen next.

Out of the well, Kagome was quick to pull the sheet over Tomoe's head and hurriedly peek out the sliding wall that she exited and entered from.

"Okay, the coast is clear. Let's go," Kagome instructed and wrapped an arm around Tomoe to lead her out of the small building they were occupying, only to bring her into an even bigger one. Tomoe could sense no such thing as any type of threat around this area and was even more clueless on what was happening than before.

Why was Kagome spewing lies?

Tomoe's ears twitched at the sound of a wall door sliding close and before she could ask, the sheet was pulled off of her. Disoriented from the new lighting and smells in the room she was in, Tomoe blinked and cupped her hand to her mouth and nose. The smell of flowers, or whatever that was, was overwhelming in here making Tomoe sneeze.

"Sorry about the perfume."

Perfume?

"But you'll just have to wait in here while I get the tub filled with water," Kagome said as she threw the sheet on an elevated, oversized, human sleeping matt. Tomoe was beyond confused but only one question stuck with her.

"Tub filled with water? A bath? I have to take a bath?"

Kagome froze. She forgot that Tomoe used to live with humans so she knew most human necessities. Turning around she said, "That's right, Tomoe. If the people here saw you all dirty like that then they will definitely know what you are. I'll… be right back. Just don't step outside of this room and try not to make too much noise, okay?"

Tomoe just stared at her for a moment before looking around and - not wanting to break or touch anything in fear it would bring even more flower scents in the room - she sat right where she stood. Kagome sighed and walked out of the room, closing the wall door behind her.

Tomoe only sat there for a few minutes before Kagome returned and quickly led Tomoe through the place they were in and into what looked like an indoor hot spring. Steem was everywhere, coming from a wooden tub in the corner of the room.

"Okay Tomoe. Just call for me when you're done. I'll be right outside this door." Kagome smiled and Tomoe just stared at her. She had never taken a bath before…

Kagome's smile turned into a pout as her shoulders slumped, "You have no idea how to bathe properly, do you?"

Tomoe shook her head.

Sighing, Kagome rolled up her sleeve, pulled out a stool, lighted it with a water drain, and told Tomoe to sit. When Tomoe sat, not a moment later, Kagome had poured warm water on her head. Drenching her head to toe. Tomeo didn't mind. This was how the humans taking care of her when she was little always bathed her.

Putting some soap in her hand Kagome started to rub it in the fox's hair, trying to avoid getting it in her ears at all costs, and there was a small struggle when the scent of the shampoo reached Tomoes nose. More disgusting, over scented flowers now clung to her hair and she was displease greatly but she got over it when Kagome washed the suds away quickly.

Tying her hair into two buns that covered both of her ears, Kagome started to scrub Tomoe's back, her arms, legs, stomach, and as much as she didn't want to - but it had to be done - her chest. With a final rinse, Tomoe was cleaner than she'd ever been.

The only challenge left was the dress the 'no clothes police' fox.


	14. Chapter 14

Just like when they first met, putting clothes on Tomoe was not an easy feat. Whatever clothing option Kagome pulled out of her closet for the human fox, all it would get was a shake of the head without a second glance. Tomoe had turned down almost all of the items Kagome had, lowering the teens self-esteam each and every time she shook her head.

And now, all Kagome had left in her closet was an old kimono that didn't fit her anymore. She didn't think about asking Tomoe for her opinion, predicting her answer, but she was shocked when Tomoe reached out to touch the silky fabric.

Tomoe's mind was clouded with forgotten memories of black and white. When she was just a kit, before Tomoe's mother abandoned her in the woods next to the human wheat fields, she remembered embracing someone wearing silky black and white robes.

The memory was hazy, smoke clouding not only her lungs but stung her eyes, making them water as she coughed. Then, she could hear their screams. Pain and sorrow in the high pitched notes making her knees tremble just like how they did back then.

"T-Tomoe? Are you... alright?"

Tomoe blinked out of her thoughts, out of the haze and looked to Kagome. She heard her voice, registered her question, but could not depict what she thought was wrong.

Kagome gasped upon seeing the human fox's expression. She had never seen eyes so full of emotion and had not expected Tomoe to posses such. Colors flared in Tomoe's eyes that hadn't been there before. The icy glare protecting any emotion from seeping through was nothing more than water runned down her pale cheeks now.

"Tomoe, why are you crying?"

Tomoe's ears twitched at her question and she felt her eyebrows knit together slightly. When she touched her hand to her cheek she was surprise about the presence of the liquid that trailed from her eyes.

"Huh?" Tomoe tried wiping them away, but more came rushing down her face to drip off her chin. She had no reason to be so upset that she was brought tears and she had no reason to be shaking with fright. It was just a forgotten memory of a bad dream. She was too young to remember anything before she was abandoned, but old enough to remember a recurring nightmare.

"Tomoe?"

The fox stiffened from the gentle hand Kagome placed on her shoulder and looked up at the human, not surprised to see her face was riddled with concerned for her well-being. Before Kagome could ask anything, Tomoe lifted her hand and pointed at the kimono.

"Put it on me."

Tomoe was a few inches smaller than Kagome making the kimono fit just right. The inner layer of cloth was white as well as the sash that held it altogether while to outer layer of clothing was solid black. Kagome had put it on her once, showed her how to take it off before putting it all back on again and making her try to take it off herself. The only problem with that was Tomoe was easily distracted by the feeling of the silk against her skin whenever she moved. It was irritating at first, to have her movements be restricted so much in a manner of minutes but by the time the sun had dove under the horizon, Tomoe had found the tight embrace of the silk against her skin to be pleasing. The only downside was having to keep her tail hidden from the 'fox hunting humans' Kagome fibbed about.

Now sitting in Kagome's room by herself while the human ate dinner with her family, Tomoe couldn't stop thinking about how worried Rin must be. She had left their side when the sun was at its highest and had promised a quick return, but it was passed sundown now and Tomoe couldn't suppress the immense amount of gilt pushing against her chest, suffocating her lungs. She needed to get back to wherever they were.

Kagome had requested her to stay in her room and to not come out until she came back, but Tomoe could hear her laughing with other humans just paces away. She was talking about an adventure she went on with InuYasha, about how the hunt of more shards was going and who her most recent enemy was. When Tomoe's ears twitched upon hearing Sesshomaru's name enter the conversation, she stood up and fled the room. Her footsteps silent as she followed Kagome's voice and the sound of more laughter. The layout of this hut was not one Tomoe recognized and she suddenly found herself feeling very nervous in the tight walkway.

She entered the room Kagome was seated in, in a blur. Scaring the people before Kagome with her sudden appearance as she stood behind the clueless girl.

"Kagome," Tomoe said dully, making the girl jump and spin around in her seat.

"Tomoe! What are you doing? I told you to stay out of sight or else they'll-"

"Eat me? I think not, human Kagome. The humans before you smell of rice and wheat. None have eaten any form of meat before," Tomoe stated, narrowing her eyes at the girl. The icy glare had returned to be even more intimidating.

"K… Kagome, who is this?" A middle aged female human asked, but Tomoe never took her gaze away from the one in question.

"A-A friend from school!"

"School? What is this… School?" Tomoe asked, narrowing her glare even more.

Kagome made a noise, Tomoe could not comprehend. Though, it seemed as the other humans were also glaring at Kagome, they understood perfectly well what this noise meant. It sounded like a human laugh, but weaker, more quiet as Kagome's nervous scent filled Tomoe's nortel's. She was getting tired of smelling so much of Kagome, it was making her sick. She wanted to get away. She wanted to get back to Rin.

But before Tomoe could demand to go home, the elder female human spoke in a manner that was familiar to the human fox. She was greatly displeased, and disapproving.

"Kagome, what have I told you about bringing things and/or beings into this era?"

The youngest male, who had the same facial structure as Kagome, piped in now, "Yeah! You could create a vortex in the Time/Space Continuum!"

Tomoe didn't pay attention to the younger one's babbling or the human woman's disapproval as she continued her stare at the back of the teen's head, knowing well that she could feel its burn.

"I know, I know!" Kagome threw her hands in the air in a form of defence, and Tomoe instantly growled, thinking she was going to hit her or someone else. Kagome yipped in surprise and put her hands down quickly. "But, Mom, it wasn't my fault! Tomoe fell into the well with me and I couldn't send her back with a jewel shard alone. What if she ate it or something?! Tomoe doesn't have a lot of common sense, she's a fox!" She was quick to cover her mouth after that statement. She had spoken her mind about how she viewed Tomoe right in front of her and had uncovered her identity in front of her family…

"Human," everyone turned to looked at an emotionless Tomoe. No longer staring at Kagome with a venomous glare, she cocked her head to the right in utter confusion. The simple movement made the buns covering her ears come undone and smoothly unravel to her sides. Everyone was instantly awestruck by her beauty. "What is common sense?"

All was quiet before the eldest human man started gushing over the very ground Tomoe walked. He babbled about something foreign to Tomoe, the word cute. And before anyone could think to stop him, he stopped himself with a sharp inhale of breath and turned to the human woman, "Can we keep her?" His hands clasped together with hope lingering in his dulled eyes as his face flushed to a color only Tomoe couldn't understand.

A chill instantly ran up and down the foxes spine as soon as the comment was made. She didn't know why. But she saw the old man as what the human children in the old village she grew up in called all the old people: Creepy; and thought she didn't know the meaning entirely, he was also perverted.

"No," the woman stated dully, making a wave of relief flood Tomoe's shores, "But since it is already so late and there is no point in going back so soon if no one will be there waiting for you, I suppose she can stay for the night."

Kagome made another human nose Tomoe did not fully understand, but her mouth was open, eyebrows raised at her mother as she breathed in sharply. "Really, Mom? Thank you so much!" She wrapped her mother into a tight hug. "She can sleep with me in my room and I'll return her back to her era in the morning. I promise!"

The woman chuckled as the youngest male started to pout about having people over on a 'school night', whatever that was. "It's no problem dear, but how about we give your friend something to eat? I bet she's just skin and bone under that kimono." She turned to Tomoe with a kind smile, Tomoe stared back with her emotionless mask. "What would you like to have for dinner… um…"

"Tomoe," Kagome smiled.

"Tomoe. What a pretty name. So what would you like Tomoe? I can make you anything you want."

"The blood of my enemies," Tomoe answered back, making all of the humans freeze at her dullness. And though she was serious about wanting human blood, she knew they would not supply her with any, so before anyone could say anything, Tomoe said, after a still silence, "Fish would suffice."

Asleep on the floor of Kagome's room, Tomoe's belly was not full from fish. The second the fish was cooked, the human fox would not even look at it and the moment a raw fish was pulled out of the fridge for her, the fox wouldn't even touch it. It did not smell like any fish she new of though it did look similar. It smelt like… she couldn't describe it, but it burned her nose and made her gag. Her stomach was empty, making ghostly noises as Tomoe dreamed.

 _The Ningen Kitsune (human fox) tribes thrived in the trees. Their homes were high above the ground, away from lurking predators. Bridges linked their homes together, forming a closely knit community of foxes who bore the resemblance to humans and were shunned by their own fox kind._

 _Tomoe called this place home when she was just a kit. No older than 55 years old. She was missing her top right K-9 and was no taller than the growing grass in their wheat fields below. She had long dark brown hair that went to her knees, the fox ears atop her head and her fox tail in the lower proximities of her back were the same brown color but with black at the tips. It was summer and she was the only fox of her kind with the gene of changing hair color with the seasons._

 _With this gene still left lingering inside her, everyone thought she was special. It had been years before Tomoe was born since their kind could change so drastically as a form of defence against predators, and everyone was amazed when Tomoe's natural born brunette hair turned snow white one winter. She was the last Ningen Kitsune to have this gene._

 _She was walking across the main bridge leading towards the heart and soul of her tribe's territory, the library. Tomoe loved reading, she would waste her days away just reading and sitting in the same position with the same scroll she's read over and over again. When she was 45, she had read every scroll in the three story, library._

 _No fire was ever allowed in the grounds during the summer in fear that a single, licking flame would catch on a piece of dry dark in one of the many huts and burn everything in sight. But, the library didn't need such an element. It had no roof. Natural light from the sun and moon flooded the space with a feeling of freedom, the canopy of tree branches and leaves protected the scrolls from any precipitation the clouds created. This place was like a second hut to Tomoe._

 _Upon entering the huge wooden, scroll filled room, Tomoe was greated by others of her kind that maintained the scroll's order and kept written documents of who took which scroll. She giggled and smiled back, happy to be back where she felt the most at home. She was not tainted by the feeling of loss back then and was just like any other normal kit in her tribe. Happiness surrounded her everyday._

 _Walking through the many isles on the second floor, Tomoe stopped when she found what she wanted to read. It was about the heroic tales of this tribe's very own knight-in-shining-armor and they were all true._

 _A smile spread across her face as she stopped and started to reach for it, but only for her arm to stop short. She was too small to reach the scroll. Who ever put in up there was obviously knew and didn't know about Tomoe's height problems. Standing on her toes didn't work, she was too scared to climb the shelves in fear in would fall on top of her, so there was only one thing left to do. Jump._

 _Tomoe bent her knees, readying herself for the jump of her life since she was so small and was another shelf away from reaching the scroll. She was a terrible jumper as well. Her legs were so small and weak, she could only jump once before they felt numb with weakness. This jump had to be it or it was a bust._

 _Suddenly uncoiling the building tension around her bent knees, Tomoe jumped as best she could and reached for the scroll. She got the the bottom of the shelf it was on before she felt gravity pull her back down, but then, something strong swooped under her arms, lifted her higher in the air and brought her back down in one fluid motion when she took the scroll in nimble hands._

 _When she was back on her feet, Tomoe wasn't surprised to look up to find her best friend Pengi was the one to help her. Pengi was 78 years old, much taller and more mature looking than Tomoe, and was born with not the usual dark brown locks like the others. Most of his genes consisted of aldino fox fur, making his shaggy hair, ears, and tail white and eyes a light purplish grey. Their odd hair color is what made them such close friends. He was wearing a black and white kimono. The sash was white with a black base. And Tomoe was wearing something too, only it wasn't a kimono, more like a vest and a pair of old night sleeping shorts she found in her room._

" _Thank you, Penn!" Tomoe giggled as she hugged the scroll to her chest. She could never pronounce his name correctly._

" _No problem. So, you're going for the heroic setting today, I see," Penn smirked as they started walking towards an open area to sit. There was no furniture, just an empty space with pillows. The library was also meant for late nights and chilly afternoons._

" _Yep! It's my favorite story of them all. Want me to read it to you?" Tomoe smiled as she sat._

 _Penn only sighed and smiled back, "It would make me the happiest_ _Ningen Kitsune_ _alive if you did so." Penn sat and laid his head on Tomoe's lap, an even bigger smile pulling at his pale lips as her started playing with his hair as she opened the scroll._

 _But she never got to begin her reading when their was a sudden screaming outside. "FIRE! FIRE! EVERYONE EVACUATE THE LIBRARY!"_

 _Tomoe and Penn sighed as he sat up and she rerolled to scroll. It was just a drill. They did this once every full moon._

" _Well, I'll see you later, Penn. After the drill, I'll read to you, okay?" Tomoe asked with a smile as she and Penn started backing away in different directions, the direction their huts were in. In the drills you're supposed to go to your hut and escape into the wheat fields with your family and belongings._

" _Promise?" Penn chuckled and Tomoe nodded before they went their separate ways._

 _She was calm as she walked down the hall, towards the steps, but when she started walking towards the side exit, she was surprised to find herself coughing. There was actual smoke in the library._

" _Penn?" Tomoe was starting to get scared as she called out. But her voice only echoed back to her. She knew she'd be downed by the shrinking people outside, who made her heart rate increase so dramatically she could hear it in her ears and feel it hammering against her chest._

 _She gave a loud, but hoarse shriek when she felt a hand grip her left wrist and spun around. It was Penn. He was panting, wheezing, coughing too from running to find her in the thickening smoke._

" _We have to get out of here," he said, breathing fast. "We should be near an exit."_

" _But what about Miss Yoko? She was putting away scrolls on this floor." Tomoe asked. She was feeling dizzy and weak. She rubbed her eyes. "She was over there." When she pointed up at the aisle towards the entrance, she could see how much thicker the smoke was in that direction._

 _Penn looked doubtful for a second, but then he nodded. "Okay," he said keeping hold of her wrist as they crouched down and sprinted towards the steps. They took a right when one aisle looked particularly thick with smoke, then found themselves facing a wall of scrolls without a clue on which way to run. The smoke that only a moment ago hovered over their heads now pressed heavily on their shoulders._

 _Even ducking below it, they were choking. And they couldn't see as much as a few feet n front of them. Making sure to keep a hold on Penn, Tomoe spun around in a circle, suddenly unsure which direction they'd come from. She reached out and felt the hot wood shelf of one of the stacks. She couldn't even make out the letters on the scroll paper. We they in the D section or the O's?_

 _There were no clues to guide them towards Miss Yoko, and no clues to guide them towards an exit, either. Tomoe felt a surge of panic course through her, making it even more difficult to breath._

" _She must have already gotten out," Penn coughed, sounding only half convinced. "We have to turn back."_

 _Tomoe bit her lip, erging herself not to cry. This was her home…_

 _She could barely see Pen, who was right in front of her. He was right, but which way was back? Tomoe nodded mutely, and felt his hand tugging hers._

 _For a long time, she moved without knowing where they were going, but as they ran, the smoke lifted, little by little, until, eventually, she saw the red glow of an emergency exit sign. Tomoe breathed a sigh of relief as Penn fumbled for the handle on the door and finally pushed it open._

 _They were in a hallway Tomoe had never been before. Penn slammed the door shut behind him. They gasped and filled their lungs with clean air. It tasted so good, Tomoe wanted to sink her teeth into it, to drink a gallon of it, bathe herself in it. She and Penn both coughed the smoke out of their lungs until they started laughing, an uneasy, only half-relieved laugh. They laughed until she was crying. But even when Tomoe finished coughing and crying, her eyes continued to tear._

 _How could she breathe in this air when she didn't even know what happened to Miss Yoko? If Miss Yoko hadn't made it out - if she was collapsed somewhere inside - then Tomoe had failed a sworn oath her kind take at an early age to protect our own kind no matter the battle we face. If you can in someway help, then go to them._

 _She wiped her eyes and watched a puff of smoke curl out from underneath the crack at the back of the door. They weren't safe yet. There was another door at the end of this hallway and she knew they would be safe as soon as they reached that door._

 _She exhaled. In a few moments, they'd be outside, away from these choking fumes._

 _If they were fast enough, they could go around to the front entrance and make sure Miss Yoka had made it out okay._

" _Come on," Penn wheezes to Tomoe, seeing the door too. "We have to keep going."_

 _He straightened up, but Tomoe could see he was really overcome. His face was red, his eyes were wild and wet. She could see it in his eyes, he was thinking about the oath too, only, she was the one he was saving._

 _A loud cracking sound behind them, made Penn pick up Tomoe in a haste and start running. Tomoe was bouncing on his shoulder roughly, but she could make out the how the once light bark that was the door, was now charcol back as it was eaten by flames and consumed by smoke._

 _She was suddenly choking, eyes watering again, being held so high, the smoke that was new to this room was burning her lungs and eyes._

 _Sensing her distress, and knowing she wouldn't be strong enough to stand on her own, Penn held her in his arms like she was his bride and he was her groom. He glanced down at her and they caught each other's gaze. Her green orbs had the word frightened written all over them while his had a secret promise._

 _Glancing back up to watch was little he could, he coughed and choked out, "If we making it out…" He wheezed and she could see the smoke being suched into his mouth like a vortex. "Marry me, Tomoe."_

 _She already crying eyes blinked with surprise and she gasped but ended up coughing and choking on the thickening smoke. But then, with a loud crash of the door being busted open by Penn's foot colliding with it, there was a rush was frost bitten air that suffocated her at first but brought her back to her senses._

 _They were heaving. Choking. Gasping. Gagging. Wheezing._

 _Screams could be heard below them. But it sounded far away._

 _The wind nipped at her neck. They were outside!_

 _Standing on the small ledge. A flighted of wooden stairs led down to the wheat fields where everyone was… but there only seemed to be more pain filled screams then panicked ones. Glancing down, Tomoe froze upon seeing not only the wheat fields on fire, but all of the huts and trees in the surrounding area. Everything and everyone was going to be reduced to ash soon…_

" _We need to leave!" Penn yelled over the screams. "No time to -!" But he was cut off by a deafening explosion behind them. The force of the fiery wave launched them forwards, over the railing and swan diving into a sea of fire. As they fell, Tomoe could feel Penn's arms wrapped protectively around her as he shifted himself to hit the ground first._

 _Nothing happened in slow motion. There was no final good-bye in mid air. As soon as Penn hit the ground head first, Tomoe knew he was gone from the deafening crack produced by his skull. He was dead, but still held onto her with protective care._

 _For a long moment, her heart throbbed. She'd never known pain as deep and searing as this. She cried into the ash filled sky. She joined the chorus of screams with her family as they during to death._

 _But then it all became too much and Tomoe surrendered, closing her eyes._

When Tomoe opened her eyes, she was met with the worried gaze of Sesshomaru. His golden eyes had no trace of his emotionless mask. No, that was cased aside, revealing concern, troubled ness, and relief. His face was only inched away from hers and he was all she could see. He seemed to be searched her eyes from something, anything to tell him that she was okay. He had found her unconscious in the well after searching for her high and low all night. It seems she hit her head pretty hard too.

As her mind was suddenly questioning how she got back, she remembered her dream. It was the same nightmare she always had since she was found by human when she was younger, but it never ceased to make her cry. She knew it was just a dream, knew it wasn't real, but it felt real. Like she was really there. At least, that's what she thinks…

As soon as Tomoe's green eyes become flooded with tears, Sesshomaru can't help but watch as emotions flow out of her. He watched as different colors swirled in her eyes before she closed her eyes and nuzzled her face into his chest, her fis clinging tightly to him kimono as she shook with sorrow.

"P-Please. D-Don't leave me, Sesshomaru. D-Don't let me go." It was pitiful to be holding Sesshomaru to such a silly unverbalized promise, but, he didn't dare let go.

He held her tighter.


	15. Chapter 15

Asleep on the floor of Kagome's room, Tomoe could not be awake by the human. It was barely sunrise, the sky lightly dusted with the sun's naturally golden glow. Kagome was awoken from the fox's distressful noises from the floor she was curled upon.

Before tempting to awake her, Kagome stared at the fox, making she wasn't wasn't already awake and in some sort of pain from an unknown object in the room. But watching Tomoe's ears twitch and swivel in different directions proved to the human that Tomoe was in no physical pain.

A nightmare was what was causing Tomoe to be so distrote.

At first, Kagome didn't know if risking the possibility of loosing her hand to wake the fox was a good idea. During the handful of days Tomoe had spent traveling with the little group back in the rightful era, she had also seemed to be having bad dreams. Kagome remembered seeing InuYasha awake and sitting next to the human fox as she slept, unable to take his eyes away as his fingers played subconsciously in her hair.

When Kagome questioned the half demon he stated that toying with her hair seemed to be the only thing keeping her from having another scary dream.

Tomoe didn't wake up to ask him to comfort her. In fact, InuYasha took it upon himself to run a clawed but gentle hand through her brunette silky locks and had ceased her cries from her woeful dream.

He didn't want to hear her cry, but this didn't made her special to him. His often did this with Kagome whenever she seemed to be having a nightmare. He never wanted to hear anyone he was acquainted with cry.

So when Kagome reached a hand to run it through the fox's know silver locks, she was relieved to find Tomoe did not wake up. He cried had ceased but still audible through lingering memories of the dream.

Upon the arrival of six A.M. Kagome could not find it within herself to wake Tomoe. To her, the human fox finally looked at peace with her mind. No longer was there a waging war between awakening and damnation. She was breathing evenly through her mouth, slight drool running down the side of her cheek and into her hair at the tip of her earlobe. At the sight of Tomoe's final surrender to a blanket of deep sleep, Kagome just couldn't wake her.

And she also couldn't stay here any longer.

Stepping over Tomoe, Kagome started to pack a few things to take with her back to the Feudal Era. Clothes, feminine hygiene products (such as shampoo, body soap, etc), boxed foods, and a First Aid kit, the little bodel with the jewel shards, she was all set! The only thing left to pack was Tomoe…

Glancing back at the sleeping human fox on her bedroom floor Kagome's eyes lingered on the kimono she was wearing. It pained Kagome to think this, but Tomoe would have to take that off. If she were to return with memories of the era she traveled to, it could spell disaster for Kagome if the word got out to other demons possessing other shards of the jewel and Naraku.

She couldn't risk it.

With the help of her mother, the pair was able to slip Tomoe out of the kimono and carry her nude through the house and outside to the well without being detected by the boys. Carefully, Kagome's mother placed the human fox in Kagome's open arms and waved good bye to her daughter as she watched her jump down the well without a ward as to not wake Tomoe.

As light flashed before them, Kagome lost her grip on Tomoe and resulted in a rough landing. Kagome was fortunate enough as to land on her butt, but Tomoe had yet again hit her head. Kagome didn't have time to assess if her head wound was serious. She needed to make sure she wasn't there when she woke up in the slight chance she interrogated her for answers. No one must know her era exists.

Along leaving Tomoe there - lying still but breathing in the well, Kagome saw a flash of white in the distance, but it was not the fox she left behind nor her half demon friend awaiting her arrival. Recognizing Sesshomaru's menacing demeanor, Kagome ran towards the protection of her friend. Hoping Tomoe would be okay.


	16. Chapter 16

Tomoe stared up at the afternoon sky as it turned light purple. She needed some time to think, to be by herself. To take a deep breath without receiving a glance from Sesshomaru in return.

The sun had just bowed under the horizon but left a golden glow in its wake. There was little to no clouds in the sky usually, but today it hadn't stopped raining until noon and thus there were one or two big tuffs in the sky. The rain had made them stop to seek refuge in a nearby cave in fear of risking Rin's health but none of them made a move to keep going after it stopped. Though she loved being with Rin more than anything, and didn't mind Sesshomaru's silence, or Jaken's nagging for her to wear clothes; this, being alone just of a couple of minutes, was refreshing and calming.

It had been a long time since Tomoe had to worry about humans coming to attack her. She hadn't heard a single soul sing her calling song. Now, all of her days were spent in piece. She no longer sat on the edge of her walls, waiting to fall back in to protect herself from harm. She was on the other side now, exploring uncharted territory and turned every corner in her mind with curiosity.

She sometimes wondered if she was losing her mind from everything being so quiet. Her, Sesshomaru, Rin and Jaken occasionally. That it wasn't the wind that was whispering secrets in her twitching ears but her own thoughts trying to rid itself of the stillful silence she was always engulfed in. But know she could hear to the stars and back thanks to that stillness, and dismissed the thought all together.

Tomoe's long silver locks rustled with the wind and her ears twitched, making her come back to reality. The sky was now a dark blue almost black. She cocked her head to the right and looked more intently at the sky with her ears perked. Somehow, something was missing from this portrait and Tomoe couldn't place her finger on it. She could feel something missing, something very important that it created a hollow hole in her chest.

She went through a list in her head of what it could be. The clouds were still there, along with the proper color of the night, and the crescent moon. She pondered on the moon for a moment as it smiled down at her. Seeming to laugh at her dismay as well. It knew what was missing but it wasn't going to share its insight with the human fox.

To the right, she smelt him before her ears could pick up the hushed noises of leaves scraping against his clothing. Sesshomaru. She didn't turn her gaze away from the darkening sky as he approached, sat, stared at her then looked towards the sky as well. He only left a handful of inches between them but that didn't cause Tomoe any worry. She was too lost in her thought of what was missing to be worried.

Sesshomaru stared at the sky, not seeing what Tomoe was looking at or for and shifted his gaze to the human fox. He had a sudden rush of memories when he looked at her hands resting in her lap. How he saved her from falling off the bridge, grabbing her wrist and feeling that golt of electricity run through his arm the first time they ever touched. Another set of memories when he looked down at his own hands. How they cradled her limp body when he found her in an abandoned well, unconscious, and held her while she begged him not to leave her when she awoke. Seeing her cry in his arms, showing emotions he never thought he would see come out of her.

His gaze shift back to her again, wondering if he touched her hand again would the same feeling rush through his veins? But before he could experiment, Tomoe looked to him. She had expected him to at least say something by now.

"Was there something you needed Sesshomaru?" She asked her voice light from the lack of use.

As she spoke he could see her sharp K-9's glistening a shiny white from natural beauty and saliva. It made him remember watching her sleep the first night they ever spent together. How brool pool onto the grass below as she mouth was slightly ajar. But remembering that made him recall why he came out here seeking Tomoe.

"Rin requested you sing before bed."

Tomoe felt her lips pull into a small smile before looking back to the sky. "Then she must be already asleep if she hasn't come out here yet."

It was silent after the comment. Tomoe staring at the sky while Sesshomaru was caught in memory of her smile just now. How effortless it seemed to smile so gracefully for her. And before he could compose himself, his hand unconsciously grabs her chin, turned her head to face him and said: "Tell me."

Taken aback by his words, Tomoe blinked emotionlessly, not minding the physical contact and stared into his golden hues as he stared into her green ones. Before she could ask what he meant he interrupted her thoughts by releasing her chin and grabbing a lock of silver hair. He closed his eyes as he took a deep breath, but they snapped open when he couldn't find was he was looking for.

"Tell me why I cannot smell you."

Letting go of her hair, he leaned down to place his ear against her chest but retreated when he couldn't find what he was looking for.

"Tell me why I cannot hear you."

Grabbing her face with both hands and bring their foreheads together he looked deep into her blank eyes but backed away when he couldn't find what he was looking for.

"Tell me why cannot I understand you."

Her mind was blank and before it could come up with anything to say or how she should feel about his close proximities, Sesshomaru tackled her to the chilled grass. Pinning her below him and staring at her composed face before tightening his grip when he couldn't find what he was looking for.

"Tell me why I shouldn't-"

"Tomoe? Ah!" Both the demon and fox's head snapped in the direction of Rin's voice while her call for Tomoe was brought to a short squeal of surprise when Jaken covered her innocent eyes.

"Lord Sesshomaru?! Is it truly that time of year again?!" Sesshomaru sighed, stood from his position above Tomoe and walked towards Jaken as he continued to talk about something Tomoe could not make sense of. "If you wish My Lord, I shall take the runt and seek a different shelter for the night in order for you to continue your- Ack!" Easily stepping on Jaken, Sesshomaru matted him into the ground as Rin was now able to lay on top of Tomoe in a hug.

"Will you sing to me Tomoe?" Rin asked, looking down at the human fox as she lifted her head from her chest.

Tomoe sighed, smiled down at the girl slightly before standing and picking her up. "Of course." Even while Tomoe and Rin passed, Sesshomaru gave no indication of letting up on Jaken. Creating a small crater into the dirt with Jaken's face that would serve as his bed for the night; if the demon was so generous as to let up that soon.

After a couple of minutes of humming a tuneless song, Rin was asleep in Tomoe's lap. The human fox played with the girl's hair, continued to hum, and rocked them back and forth despite knowing she was somewhere those short minutes Tomoe had enough time to reflect on what had happened between Sesshomaru and her, what Jaken ment by 'that time of year', and why he couldn't possible keep his hands off her in those few minutes they were alone. So by the time Sesshomaru entered the cave without Jaken a sat across from her, she knew exactly what had just taken place.

The slight smirk that tugged at her lips did not go unnoticed by the demon, but he did not know why it graced her face. Was she laughing at him? Was she smiling at a thought, a distant memory. Or was she smiling at Rin's blissful face? He couldn't understand her at all.

Though, still looking down to Rin, Tomoe spoke softly, "I do not remember the day I was born nor where. I do not remember a grand majority of my childhood nor any of my family. Mostly, I receive flashed of the past or a first name. Never the full memory."

It was silent for a moment as Sesshomaru absorbed her words and narrowed his eyes. Sceptical of what she was getting at. "What does this information do for me?"

Tomoe looked up from Rin's face, nothing showing in her green eyes as her face was stone. "You tell me, demon. Why do you want to understand a fox?"


	17. Chapter 17

_Tomoe looked up from Rin's face, nothing showing in her green eyes as her face was stone. "You tell me, demon. Why do you want to understand a fox?"_

He stared at her.

Not at Rin in her protective arms, her twitching ears, or silver tail. Not at her dark green eyes, soft face, or nude skin.

He stared at her. Absorbing every little unnoticeable all at once until his eyes were trained to glance upon her features with so much familiarness it confused his mind into thinking he knew her since the moment he was born. He absorbed her like a blank canvas absorbed its first stroke of paint. And in that moment, in that very second, he knew he had to her full attention and should ask more questions. The only problem was: How does one approach such a creature of beauty and murder? When he had first peered upon her emotionless face his mind was only set on her eyes, he hadn't realized that she may actually be more exquisite behind her soulless gaze. Now, looking at her with nothing clouding his mind, he knew what to do but not how to speak.

For the first time in a long time, Sesshomaru was actually speechless. But why was he speechless now? They had held a conversation before under more surprising circumstances. Was it because no one was awake to hear them? Or perhaps, is it was because she is so willing to share suddenly?

Tomoe was amused as she stared back at him. She watched as new emotions danced across his golden eyes, ones she did not understand, but out of the many she caught surprise and curiosity. Oh, how this dog confused her, but she could only imagine how equally confusing she was to him. It was only fair to sit and wait as he tried his best to gather his thoughts while he continued to stare and she knew that perhaps tonight or in a different time, Sesshomaru will answer the questions she has gathered for him as well.

She watched as he blinked suddenly, washing away all of the emotions in his eyes. He seemed to be looking at her hair as he spoke. "Brown."

Without having to look down and break eye contact with the demon before her, Tomoe focused on the scents of the earth around them, smelling blooming flowers and greening trees. A small smile tugging at her lips as she embraced the first night of spring. She looked down now, a smile still on her pale lips, seeing how her hair had completely changed back to it's natural state, along with her brown and black tipped tail and ears.

He tail patted the ground beside her as she looked back to Sesshomaru, "I am the last of the Ningen Kitsune to have the gene of the Arctic Fox run within my veins. The ability to change the color of my fur as the seasons go by has served me with great triumph over my enemies." Tomoe looked down to Rin as she nuzzled her face further into the fox's neck before whispering, "Perhaps this is why you cannot smell me. As the seasons change, my hair and my scent change with it."

"You," Sesshomaru started slow, looking into her eyes, searching for anything to telling him what the correct questions were to ask. After seeing nothing in her guarded green eyes he said, "- are a mix of many, I assume."

"That is correct."

"And, the reason I cannot hear you?"

"The Grey Fox is best known for its speed and lack of height, I have both, but because of these factors, the Grey Fox is also light on their feet and often lost in a hunt from the lack of sound."

"Why I cannot understand you?"

"Red Foxes are known for their cold nature towards one another. They are dull, emotionless, and fearless creatures."

"Red Foxes are cannibals," Sesshomaru stated flatly, having run into a few in the past. He could somewhat understand her now, but he knew that there was so much more to uncover other than justifying all of her actions on her genes. Having kept his eyes on her for a grand majority of their time together, he had gathered questions about what was going on in her head.

But before he could ask those Tomoe sighed, causing his attention instantly. "That is true, but I have never eaten another fox before." Was her only reply on the matter.

"Then you favor the blood of humans." Sesshomaru looked deeper into her eyes again, trying to see how she will react, but there was nothing as she stared back.

"That is correct."

"You're hungry," Sesshomaru assumed, and Tomoe allowed herself to break her dull mask and chuckle. She nuzzled her cheek against the side of Rin's head, lulling her into a comforting slumber.

"As if I could truly be myself when Rin is always watching. I don't want her to think that I kill because I want to, I want her to know I kill because some circumstances call for it."

"There should be a motive for murder?"

Tomoe's head snapped up at the question, a firy, venomous glare set in her green orbs. "Always. Nothing should die without reasoning, in my opinion." She was growling now, remembering back to the time Riku was burned alive by the vile creatures she eats. They had no reason to kill him. No reason at all.

Sesshomaru was at a loss for words again, her dangerous expression was not one he thought he would see from asking such a seemingly simple question. He only began to realize the extent of her reply as he watched her try to compose herself. Willing herself not to cry as the nightmare resurfaced in her mind. Even in her worst dreams, fire was set to her most important possessions without any reasoning. She may not remember a time before being found by humans very well, but she knew that the licking red, orange, and yellow flames of Hell were apart of it.

Penn - real or not - was apart of it…

On the outside, she wouldn't look at Sesshomaru. She didn't want him to read her, to see how much pain that question really weighed on her subconsciousness. But on the inside, she was spiralling into a forgotten depression. She was losing control of her emotions, a mixture of sorrow and rage was a cocktail served with inevitable disaster and she had just downed the entire bottle.

Her inner fox was starting to come out, she could feel her teeth turn to spikes and even cut her bottom lining of gums slightly. The sweet taste of her blood was enough to set herself off as a hunger so strong took over her body. She was quick - but gentle - to set Rin down before her nails could grow into claws. She marched out of the cave quickly, not wanting to be anywhere near Rin once the fox within her totally takes over her mind and body. She didn't want to awaken with the taste of blood from her child.

Something wrapped around her wrist and she growled lowly, uncontrollably as she yanked it back to her side. She still had a firm enough grip on reality to not lash out as she turned around, only to be met face to face with Sesshomaru.

"I did not mean it like murder without a reason was a good thing-"

"I know," Tomoe growled, but she quickly looked to Rin to see if her loud outburst had awaken her, luckily it hadn't. Cleaning her throat, Tomoe spoke in a whisper, an edge still evident in her tone. "I must leave this area immediately."

"I'll come with you."

"No," she growled, her pupils turning into slits as specks of red appeared in her green irises. Gluttony and greed were mixing into the next round of dangerous beverages the bartender was preparing for her.

She bit her bottom lip, drawing more blood as she willed herself to stay in control until she was far enough from their camp site. She walked away quickly, the want for Sesshomaru to stay behind to watch out for Rin had dwindled into nothing as he followed closely behind. She was sure Jaken would watch over her if anything were to come their way.

Though her feet did not made a single crunch or snap under her weight, she was unable to stop herself from growling as she marched forwards. Never looking back towards the cave or towards Sesshomaru as she could feel his cautious gaze on the back of her head. Her brown and black tipped tail swaying dangerously as she stalked towards the scent of the nearest village. The village was of no concern to her in this state, she didn't care if children lost their lives tonight along with faithful husbands and loving mothers. In this state she was nothing more than a starving predator stalking its bountiful prey.

Sesshomaru could see this as well, but something within himself demanded that he stop her this instant. She was marching into a one sided battle between the sane and the mad. A feast she was going to have but without any control over her own blood lust she was going to become a being who kills without reasoning. The very creature she hates the most. Yes, she was hungry, but the fact that that hunger was mixed with an even more powerful rage and urge just to slaughter something was not justification enough to go on a rampage. He needed to stop her… But it was too late.

She had charged forward on all fours and attacked the first human she was closest to. A man walking in the forest just outside of his village. Having bitten his neck with so much force, her teeth sliced through a major artery that spewed blood profusely on the fox. It happened so fast the man didn't see her coming and his death was meaningless.

Without hesitation, Sesshomaru tackled Tomoe, matched her venomous growl with his own as they rolled, trying to pin the other to gain the best advantage over them. Within the roll, Sesshomaru grabbed a hold of Tomoe wrists with both hands and pinned them above her head, ultimately stopping their tumble. He ceased his growling almost instantly upon seeing her eyes. There was no more green or white, just black. A soulless, bottomless pit in a void so dark nothing but anger could be seen as she continued her growl and started to struggle in his tight grip.

"Snap out of it!" He demanded, eyes glaring into her murderous ones. "This is not you! The real Tomoe would never kill a human out of meaningless rage!"

She gave no response, instead, she lifted her head swiftly, chomping her jaw furiously just centimeters away from Sesshomaru's face.

"Remember who you are Tomoe! You care for humans! You care for all living beings!"

She tried biting his hands only to find out she couldn't reach.

"You love Rin!"

Tomoe halted her head and howled at the sky. A warning for any other creature lurking in the night, for when she gets away, she will tear them apart without mercy.

"Tomoe, you need to remember that murder should always have a reason! You need to remember why you believe this and put it behind you!" Sesshomaru growled as well. She needed to be tamed again before he could let her go and feast with a proper reasoning to do so. Eating in such a blind state will leave her even more sorrowful in the morning. But the more Sesshomaru thought about the reasons Tomoe should revert back to normal the more he realized that those reasons only consisted of how _she_ felt. Not what other people think about her.

Finally, he was starting to understand.

Calming himself, Sesshomaru looking into Tomoe's void black eyes and temporarily threw away his emotionless mask. Worry for the savage fox below him was obvious in his eyes.

"Rin loves you." He breathed calmly and she continued to struggle.

"Jaken loves you." He sighed as he spoke the truth. Since the day Tomoe fell on her behind in the frigid river, Jaken couldn't help but warm up to her because she made him laugh. Something he hadn't done in a very long time.

"And," Sesshomaru hesitated, but he knew this was the only way to get the real Tomoe back without mauling countless people. "...I think... I may love you as well, Tomoe."

Without warning, Sesshomaru crushed his lips onto Tomoe's. At first she struggled, trying to shake him off of her, but he held her there and for the first time he was able to smell her unique scent that wasn't just the surrounding forestry, he was able to hear her racing heart, he was able to see the colorful display of emotions she both understood and hadn't had a clue in the back of his mind.

Finally, he was able to understand why he panicked when she wasn't by his side, why his skin crawled with anx whenever they touched, why he seemed at a log of words whenever she speaks to him, why he wanted to know everything about the fox.

He had fallen in love with Tomoe without even realizing it.


	18. Chapter 18

It is not uncommon for a dog to find a mate in a fox or for a fox to find a mate in a dog. Mating walks on a fine line of instinct and developed feelings for the other the animal is seeking. Naturally, instinct is supposed to take over when the animal's mating season has come, making it rare to see developed feelings occur outside of that mating period, but as for Sesshomaru everything was mixing together in a confusing harmony that was both calming and worrisome.

It was a dog's time of year to mate, to create offspring, to let one of the greatest sins engulf him in an undying yearning. Never a want. A _need_. But as instinct is suffocating his brain with that need, the feelings he has unknowingly developed for Tomoe was trying to swim to the top and forefront of his mind.

He knew that he loved her, it was undeniable, but he couldn't figure if he felt this way because it was instinct to love and mate or if it was a feeling that had been subconsciously manifesting until this very moment. He wanted her, all of her. He wanted more than a one sided kiss that she was still struggling against. He already captured her soft lips but he wanted to trace delicate skin under his own. He wanted to kiss, lick, bite, that smooth delicate skin. He wanted to touch her in such a sinful way… He wanted her to touch him in such a sinful way…

He wanted to make her as his mate not just for until the season ends but for eternity, and that's where he's developed feelings for the fox comes in. He doesn't want to just touch her, he wants to _feel_ her. He doesn't want to just kiss her, he wants to _enchant_ her. He doesn't want to just lick her, he wants to _taste_ her. He wants her to understand him like he is just starting to understand her… He wants her to come to love him like he has come to love her…

Finally, he felt her body relax below him. Not in a way that she was giving into the kiss but in a way that suggested that she was no longer conscious. Her once locked jaw turning slack, opened ajar below Sesshomaru's as her attempts at kicking him off had stopped all together. Without removing his lips from hers, he opened his eyes to see that Tomoe was in fact unconscious. He could only assume her transformation from a winter to spring coat and lack of her proper food had left her tired and without the slightest bit of energy.

Slowly, he pushed his upper body up, still sitting on her hips as he was hunched over her. His arms bearing his weight so he wouldn't collapse on her. He sighed upon seeing the blood trails from the corner of her lips, down her chin and throat from biting the random man only moments ago. Licking his lips, he tasted the red metallic liquid without any concern and carefully lowered himself back down on Tomoe and started licking away the blood on her throat first, making his way up to the chin, - occasionally getting off track to mix the metallic taste with her own sweat oils - and finally captured her lips in another one sided kiss.

Their lips making a quiet noise as he separated them and slowly raised himself off of Tomoe. He sat beside her, legs crossed, before he lifted her limp body and carefully placed her onto his lap. He held her like she held Rin, her legs draped over his left as her head rested in the crook of the right side of his neck, her tail resting loosely on her lap and wrapped around his back. One of Sesshomaru's hands tangled in Tomoe's silk brown locks while the other held her closely to his chest, his cheek against her temple as he took a deep breath in, eyes closed. He held the heavenly scent in his lunges for a moment before exhaling heavily.

The fact that he could now smell the fox confused him greatly, but it also made him yeirn to make her his even more. He had to repeat in his head that his love for this fox was much strong that that red hot need to mate right away. What he needed the most was to wait for her. Wait for her to develope feelings. Wait for her to recognize it and act upon those feelings. Wait for her to wake up, which wasn't long.

Groaning, Tomoe struggled to make sense of what was happening around her. She had no memory of ever falling asleep after leaving the cave to distance herself from Rin to keep her safe, nor does she recall anything that happened after she was out of sight from the cave. It was all just a haze, and because of this, Tomoe knew that she had transformed into her most dangerous state.

But it was not the hazy memory that threw her off, it was the fact that she was not lying in a bloodbath nor had a single drop of blood on her. It was the fact that she was sitting up and being held tightly in strong protective arms that gosled her.

Glancing up with slight confusion in her otherwise emotionless green eyes, she say Sesshomaru already peering down at her as his hand gently played with her dark brown hair. Her ears twitched slightly when his fingers suddenly brushed over them.

"Sesshomaru?" She questioned, neither breaking their gaze nor moving to get away from the other. Tomoe saw no wrong in the demon's actions while Sesshomaru wasn't planning on letting go anyway as his grip tightened around her from hearing his name roll off her tongue in such an innocent manner.

"Do you remember what happened, Tomoe?"

"No."

He was slightly relieved that he wouldn't have to explain the kiss, but at the same time disappointed that she didn't hear him confess his true feeling. He decided to tell her enough of the truth but leave out the kiss and the confession in order for her to love him on her own time. "When you were at a safe distance from the cave," he said, "you found that man," he pointed to the dead body just yards in front of them. Tomoe could smell the blood still pooling out of his neck wound and onto the grass. But this confused her even more. Why wasn't she bloody from the kill?

Before she could voice her question Sesshomaru interrupted her, "I was able to kill him before your blood lust kicked in and made you run towards the village. Then, I knocked you out since you refused to halt your struggling."

Tomoe blinked and kept and even deeper confusion hidden within herself. She knew that he was lying. She could smell herself on the human body, not Sesshomaru. She did not feel any pain on her body that would cause her to be temporarily unconscious. She did not know the reasoning behind Sesshomaru's lies, but perhaps a small feast without the truth was worth it.


	19. Chapter 19

As Tomoe ate the dead man Sesshomaru supposedly killed, she could feel his unfaltering stare on her face but didn't meet his gaze. She was too occupied with her meal, the only proper meal she had - and was going to be having - in a very long time. She wanted to savor its metallic taste, it's soft but at the same time rough texture, and how it felt to eat after a fresh kill. Fish were not the same as humans. Scales were not the the same as skin. Goop was not the same as blood. This was a meal that was only going to be had on special occasion and she planned on taking her time, despite Sesshomaru sitting beside her, just watching.

Why he was sitting so close was a question that was going to remain unanswered until after the meal, but she was having a hard time savoring the meal with him so close. She wasn't territorial of her food, she wasn't a normal fox that would've bitten Sesshomaru already. She was civil enough to share but the fact that he was sitting there, not taking any of the food for himself and was just watching her was uncomfortable. She did not feel free like she had been before starting her journey south with InuYasha and the others. She felt… tamed. Like she was still wearing those baggy pants and a new shiney leash.

She did not feel free…

"Something wrong?" Sesshomaru's voice broke Tomoe from her thoughts and she look up at him. She face messy with blood smeared on her cheeks but that did not faze either of them. It took Tomoe a moment to realize why Sesshomaru would think something was not correct. She had stopped eating having been so lost in thought.

She looked down to the shredded meat in her hands, the blood staining her pale skin red as she answered, "No."

"Then why the hesitation? Is this not a fresh enough kill?"

She couldn't understand why, but Tomoe heard something in Sesshomaru's voice just then. Something she could not recognize and was obviously not used regularly by the demon; but she couldn't discern what it was. Yet again, another human emotion she does not understand.

Standing, Tomoe looked to the sky, through the budding leaves on the tree branches and howled. She howled for as long as she could, as loud as she could, as wholeheartedly as she could. She needed to feel free again, like she wasn't tamed and someone's pet. No, she was an animal, a predator. She needed to feel as strong as one, as powerful as one. She needed to reclaim her stance in this world.

She may not be able to kill as many humans as she wanted like before, but she was still free, she was still a human fox, she was still herself. She was still Tomoe, not a demon nor spirit humans thought her to be. She was nothing to be afraid of, nothing to praise for, either. A was still as free as the when she was born, when she was found in the forest next to the field, when she was kidnapping children. She will forever be a wild animal and nothing was going to change that.

When she was out of breath, she looked to Sesshomaru as she wiped her messy mouth off with the back of her hand. "Rin will be waking if we do not return soon. I cannot have her knowing of this meal."

Sesshomaru said nothing as he took his stance beside her. She watched as he lift his hand to the foxes chin and tilted it to the right then up before taking his other hand and wiped the blood with his sleeve before doing the same to the other side. As her face was now clean, she kept an emotionless facade as he dropped both his hands to her wrist before bringing it up to his mouth and swiftly licked it. A strong shudder ran up Tomoe's spin, making her tail straight from the tingling feeling. And before he could do it again, Tomoe quickly pulled her hand away and started walking back to the cave where Rin lay asleep, waiting for her return.

"I can do the rest on my own," she said, not bothering with looking over her shoulder or waiting for him to catch up with her long strides. She tried to remain unruffled by his actions but it was so sudden and so surprising to do such a thing to the fox, she couldn't stop thinking about it, making her tale stay stiff as the shutter continued to climb up and down her spine.

She knew it was Sesshomaru's mating season, she could smell the testosterone clinging to his skin, but she knew not of what to do about it. She has never heard of an animal mating with another of a different species let alone what a dog's mating ritual would be; but if licking the desired mate was apart of it, Tomoe didn't know how she should feel towards the accused.

Yes, months have passed since they made each other's acquaintance and started their journey West, but she still felt no desire to mate with him. She tried justifying his action with just the season, but the more she thought, the more she began to realize that if Sesshomaru wanted to mate with her then he would've already. She was to only eligible female in miles and it was the part of the season where refusing to mate was the hardest.

Perhaps licking was not apart of anything. Perhaps he was just trying to clean her without having to venture further into the forest to find a pond. At least he did not lick her face.

Re-entering the cave, Tomoe found Rin laying where she had left her and only seemed to move slightly in position since her absence. Laying next to the girl, Tomoe wrapped her arms around the girl's small waist and pulled her into her warm embrace. She had licked away the rest of the blood as she thought about the past events and was certain Rin would not be able to smell it on her skin as she wrapped her now dark brown tail around her small form.

Just as Tomoe fell asleep, Sesshomaru walked into the cave and sat down across from Tomoe and Rin. His skin crawled in yearning to be closer to Tomoe, to touch her, to hold her but he mustn't do anything without reasoning. If he wants Tomoe to come to love him as his has come to love her, he must be patient and do everything he can without being suspected.

A sudden frigid wind came in through the cave, making the temperature drop significantly. It was only the start of spring. It could still snow, and rain, and be unforgiving in sudden loss or gain in temperatures; and with the loss of her winter coat, Tomoe was left shivering as another gust of cool wind blew in and stayed in the air. Her spring coat was meant for warmer climates but Tomoe learned to cope with being cold on the first few nights of spring. The only thing that could be of concern was that Rin would be without a good amount of protection not that the silver blanket was gone.

Sesshomaru couldn't watch her shiver. There was a form of pain deep in his soul just knowing that his potential mate was cold when he had enough warmth to spare.

Quietly, Sesshomaru stripped himself of his armor, stood, walked to Tomoe's side of the cave before sitting down beside her. He didn't dare watch her shiver for a second more as he carefully lifted both Rin and Tomoe onto his lap and wrapped his arms around them. Her head was laying on his shoulder with her legs tucked in, trapping Rin in between her legs and her chest as she rested her head on the fox's breasts.

As Sesshomaru sat there with the fox and human child on his lap, he kept them warm and looked to the opening of the cave, just thinking about what has happened in this single night. He had confronted the fox and almost took her when Jaken and Rin walked in on them. He had received some answers from the fox and had seen just how animalistic she could be. He confessed to her. He kissed her. And he licked her twice, the first step in mating for a dog.

Normally, when a male dog licked a female, the female would either lick him back in acceptance or hit his nose in denial. Tomoe had done neither on both occasions, though, he couldn't blame her, she didn't know how a dog mates, but he was at least expecting a smack to the face if she was utterly disgusted. Perhaps, he still had a chance.

His mind went blank when Tomoe suddenly moved in his arms. She nuzzled her face into the side of his neck and he couldn't help but respond by nuzzling his cheek against her temple until she stop moving, but her head wasn't the only thing that moved. Her hand was no longer in Rin's hair but under his kimono and laid flat against his chest, where his heart beat calmly. Her hand was cold compared to his warm skin, making him realize that despite having stopped shivering, she was still cold to the touch. He held them closer.

Sesshomaru could vaguely remember reading into how foxes mated out of boredom when he were younger. Female foxes were normally the first to approach the male and nuzzling their face into the male fox was common before mating. If the male refused, he could walk away. But if the male accepted the female, then he would nuzzle her back.

Throughout the night, whenever Tomoe nuzzled her face further into Sesshomaru's neck, he would nuzzle her back without hesitation.


	20. Chapter 20

_Her already crying eyes blinked with surprise and she gasped but ended up coughing and choking on the thickening smoke. But then, with a loud crash of the door being busted open by Penn's foot colliding with it, there was a rush of frost bitten air that suffocated her at first but brought her back to her senses._

 _They were heaving. Choking. Gasping. Gagging. Wheezing._

 _Screams could be heard below them. But it sounded far away._

 _The wind nipped at her neck. They were outside!_

 _Standing on the small ledge. A flight of wooden stairs led down to the wheat fields where everyone was… but there only seemed to be more pain filled screams then panicked ones. Glancing down, Tomoe froze upon seeing not only the wheat fields on fire, but all of the huts and trees in the surrounding area. Everything and everyone was going to be reduced to ash soon…_

" _We need to leave!" Penn yelled over the screams. "No time to -!" But he was cut off by a deafening explosion behind them. The force of the fiery wave launched them forwards, over the railing and swan diving into a sea of fire. As they fell, Tomoe could feel Penn's arms wrapped protectively around her as he shifted himself to hit the ground first._

 _Nothing happened in slow motion. There was no final good-bye in mid air. As soon as Penn hit the ground head first, Tomoe knew he was gone from the deafening crack produced by his skull. He was dead, but still held onto her with protective care. Shifting, Tomoe made herself sit up, made herself look at Penn's soulless, dead expression; but she gasped at the realization that it was not Penn who had saved her this time._

 _It was Sesshomaru..._

 _For a long moment, her heart throbbed as she held Sesshomaru in her weak arms. She'd never known pain as deep and searing as this. She cried into the ash filled sky. She joined the chorus of screams with her family as they during to death._

Sesshomaru was awoken from his peaceful slumber just before sunrise. He did not recall ever falling into the hands of blissful sleep, but he had awoken to a new pain. Nothing physical, his bones didn't ache from sleeping in such a precarious position; but instead this pain was something that could not be caused by another. His chest was tight, his heart was calm and steady but at the same time was pounding against his ribs with such force it was as if it was trying to break free of his chest cavity.

It was a new sensation but it did not take too much of the space in his mind to not notice Tomoe. She was whining, hugging Rin closely to her chest as if she had just lost her again, and nuzzling her nose into his neck. He could feel her hot breath against his sensitive neck as another high pitched whine escaped her lips, making chills trace his spine and shoot through his heart.

The child was still sleeping in the fox's warm embrace but Sesshomaru could not think of anything else than what was happening at this moment. Tomoe was having a nightmare, shaking in his arms, yearning for him to wake her as he could now feel liquid leak from her shut eyes and down his chest. Her hand that once lay against his chest a few hours ago was now raised to the other side of his neck. It rested against his collarbone as she seemed to be trying to force his shoulder down, towards her nuzzling face on the other side.

"S-Sesshomaru…" she whispered through sobs, barely audible when she whinned again.

More chills.

Another stab to the heart.

Sesshomaru quickly came to the realization that Tomoe was dreaming about him. In her dream she must be clinging to him, begging him to came back to life, nuzzling against his neck as she is doing now.

Unable to see her like this any further, Sesshomaru brought his cheek to Tomoe's temple and held her tighter in his arms as Rin still lay asleep. Oblivious about what was happening outside of her surreal world of dreams that is until the hug Tomoe had wrapped the girl in became too tight.

Waking, Rin could feel Tomoe's slender frame shaking under her own body. She could hear her cries, see the tears as they rolled from her cheeks. In an instead, all the fog of sleep lifted from her eyes as she strained to see in the dark why Tomoe was crying.

"Lord Sesshomaru," she whispered, "What's wrong with Tomoe? Why is she crying?"

Sesshomaru looked to the girl, not surprised that she hadn't noticed she had been sleeping in his lap as well as Tomoe, but he answered nonetheless the best he could. "It's just before dawn, and her mind wonders" Sesshomaru said, helping Rin escape from Tomoe's gasp so that she could stand. Once Rin was out of her arms, Tomoe clung to Sesshomaru as the demon continued, "She must be dreaming about something that happened many years ago, or something that happened five hours ago, or something that could happen ten years from now. I can only assume her mind is like a hurricane at the moment. It could be full of beautiful but awful thoughts, so please awake Jaken, Rin, and collect wood for the dead fire. I'm sure Tomoe would not like you to see her cry from such a dream."

"She… is having a nightmare?"

"That's correct, now go get the wood, Rin, and I shall awaken her. Perhaps upon her awakening she will sing to you when you get back."

A smile instantly spread over Rin's face. She was always delighted to hear Tomoe's voice every night before she fell asleep in her arms. The girl bowed before running out of the cave with the same smile on her face.

He waited until he could no longer hear the footsteps of Rin and Jaken as they walked away from the cave entrance and into the quiet forest. They will be safe, Sesshomaru could not sense any other demon or harmful animal in the area, besides Jaken will have enough common sense to protect the girl if something does appear. Hopefully.

Turning his focus back to Tomoe, Sesshomaru nuzzled his cheek against Tomoe's temple again. His eyes closed as he held her closer to his chest, his lips lifted into a light smile, he sighed as words subconsciously slipped from his thought and into the night air around them, "Do you have to tease, my dear? Nuzzling me in your sleep, now that isn't so fair. You're so emotionless when the time for sleep is over, but in your slumber I can see more than you probably wish. I can see more than what you've ever shown anyone else. I won't ask you to wake up, I want to see more of those emotions paint your beautiful face so no more tears. No more woe. Leave the tears in the ocean."

His voice alone was comforting her in her dreams. Her sobbing had stopped all together and she was left nuzzling against him. Her subconscious realizing that it was all just a dream left her waking to the sound of his calming voice.

"I understand what nuzzling means to your kind Tomoe," Sesshomaru smiled, "yet you cease to yield. Are you inviting me in, Tomoe? Do you wish to be my mate, to indulge in sinful unmentionables with me? Do you wish to claim me as your own, Tomoe?"

"Careful, demon. Don't get too far ahead of yourself," Tomoe finally awoke, though did not try to back away from Sesshomaru. She didn't bother with opening her eyes. Something in Sesshomaru's voice was jokingly, he was just messing with her head.

"I nuzzle Rin as well," Tomoe said.

"Mothers normally nuzzle their kin," Sesshomaru answered back, the filter completely gone at the moment as he said, "and their kin's father. Tell me, Tomoe - do you view me as your mate, a father for your daughter?"

"No."

"Then what am I to you, Tomoe? Take in my scent, feel my skin against your own, look upon my features, taste my lips and tell me what you find."

"I've already made up my mind without having to go to such lengths."

"And?"

"Foxes can't mate out of season."


	21. Chapter 21

" _Then what am I to you, Tomoe? Take in my scent, feel my skin against your own, look upon my features, taste my lips and tell me what you find."_

" _I've already made up my mind without having to go to such lengths."_

" _And?"_

" _Foxes can't mate out of season."_

They were staring at each other, Tomoe's statement echoing throughout the cave until it bounded back to them, making her brown ears twitch and everything was silent. No wind dared enter, no animal dared to croke, and neither of them dared to look away from the other.

Sesshomaru and Tomoe were in a battle but less physical than one might assume when hearing of the word. It was more along the lines of who could be the dominant alfa or ogaga in the small pack. Their souls trying to overpower each other with their continuous stare in each other's eyes and their current position in holding the other in their arms did not discourage the battle. Stakes were at play. If Tomoe were to win then Sesshomaru will have to do as she demands, but if she were to lose, Sesshomaru will be able to take the opportunity in making her his eternal mate.

It was a dangerous game to say the least, either side could lose or gain a sense of physical and mental pride. And Tomoe knew just how dangerous it was. She understood that right now Sesshomaru was in the middle of his own battle, it was the season for him to mate, and everyday will only get harder and harder for him to resist the animalistic urge. She understood that if she doesn't win this staring war, than he will make absolute sure victory will be his.

But she soon found out that Sesshomaru does not play fair.

Quickly, so quickly the world around her turned into a bluer, Tomoe was pinned below Sesshomaru. The instant the battle had commenced, all thoughts of catching Tomoe's heart before her body were throw away. His body was moving all on its own, he had no control as his mind plummeted into a hole filled with lustful thoughts so thick he could not swim to the surface in hopes to contain himself. And now, having her wrists held on either side of her head by his own two hands, both him and Tomoe growled at each other. For Tomoe it was a warning to stand down before she hurt him. For Sesshomaru it was territorial, demanding that she no longer fight against his wishes to mate with her and submit to him.

With his nose pressed against the side of her neck, his growl ceased to yield even as he spoke, "Mine."

Never one to back down from a challenge, Tomoe growled back, "Never."

"Submit!"

"I decline!"

Their growling died down but the tension in the cave never faltered as Tomoe's words bounded back to them one more. The words mocking Sesshomaru once more with their stubborn ring and he had finally started to come back to reality. Having realized that that he has not won the battle, but neither has she, he loosened his grip on her wrists.

He was so used to other demons throwing themselves at him he had never needed to wait this long to mate when the spring season has arrived, but meeting Tomoe - a human fox as he reminded himself - he has come to realize that he was not the only one that would be affected if they were to mate now. Yes, sweet paradise was only over the hills but it would mean nothing if Tomoe did not feel the same as he if he were to meet his sweet release here tonight.

It would most likely be painful for the female fox, a hell of sorts instead of heavenly pleasure. There was no point in mating if it were one sided as it was now.

Yanking her wrists out from his grasp, Tomoe pushed him back and off of her hips. She stood a few feet away, staring at his frozen kneeling figure in case he decided to attack once more. Her legs were tense with the idea to spring either at him in a physical fight or out of the cave in hopes to find Rin and make her escape. She liked neither of her current opinions, having come to like both Sesshomaru and Jaken as acquaintances but the fact that Sesshomaru seemed to be out of control put her on edge.

She could only think that if Sesshomaru was not able to get her in the end, then would he go after Rin instead? The idea of such a thing occurring was frightening. She considered Rin one of her own kin, and if something like that happened to Rin - stripped of her innocents so forcefully and suddenly - she wouldn't be able to live with herself.

Her ears twitched as he did. His fingers moving along the dirt before he brought himself into a more proper sitting position with his legs crossed over each other. Sensing Tomoe's distress, Sesshomaru slowly lifted his head to look at the fox, silver locks messily framing his perfectly marked face.

"Please," Sesshomaru said quietly, "Accept my apology, Tomoe. I'm not certain what had come over me so suddenly."

Eyeing him warily, Tomoe lifted her nose to the air and sniffed before lowering her head, "Where is she? Where is _my_ Rin?" Her scent was not too faint but just the fact that what had just happened had happened and the thought that just crossed her mind had also come to play made her nervous for her safety. Was Rin being held somewhere far away so she could not interfere with Sesshomaru's plan on making Tomoe his? Was Jaken with her, keeping her away and safe at the same time? Now that the immediate threat to herself was gone, she had plenty of room to worry about the small human child she's come to love.

"Off with Jaken. Collecting firewood as we speak." He noted the territorial hint in her voice, how she said _my_ as if he had threatened to take her away from the fox. But he mustn't make the situation any worse, he must stay calm in hope she will come to trust him once more.

Turning sharply, Tomoe left the cave and out into the golden glow of the sun rise but only to have her wrist be grabbed by Sesshomaru. He couldn't help himself. The urge just to be in her line of sight was overwhelming and the urge to be forgiven was even more so.

"Where are you going?"

Quickly yanking her wrist away, Tomoe took a step back, ears flat against her head, tail swaying below her in warning as she growled, "Don't touch me. Don't you dare touch me."

"Then don't walk away," Sesshomaru said in a calmer manner as he took a step back of his own. She was no longer just on the defence, she was angry beyond belief that he would attack her and try to mate without proper submission. She had never heard of such an animal.

"But I must, Sesshomaru. You are no longer safe company." She turned away from him again as he froze upon her words. He couldn't believe his ears as pain rose in his chest from seeing how true her words were. He could lose control again and may not be able to break free of the trance. He was just lucky that he did this time.

Before Tomoe could step further into the trees, Rin can running up upon seeing the fox. She had dropped all of her sticks, leaving Jaken to yell angrily at the girl, and as she collided with Tomoe's open arms, she was held tightly to her chest as she was picked up.

"Good morning Tomoe! Master Jaken and I have gathered some firewood in hopes to cheer you up!"

Slightly puzzled by the statement but not enough to care, Tomoe started walking as she looked down at the girl with a smile, "The sticks are not needed, my dear. I have decided that we are going to be going on an adventure together,just the two of us girls."

"An adventure?!" Rin squealed with delite and Tomoe chuckled at her sudden glee. But then Rin looked over her shoulder to finish Sesshomaru staring after them. No emotion on his face, he was as stone as the day they first met. Without breaking her gaze from the demon, Rin asked, "But what about Lord Sesshomaru and and Master Jaken? Aren't they coming along as well?"

"I'm sorry, Bonnabel, but only girls are allowed on this adventure."

"And… when are we going to come back?"

Stopping her pace, Tomoe looked back to Sesshomaru, saw how his face was stone but his eyes shown pain. She wished she didn't look back so that she wouldn't be branded with the igame of such a powerful demon in emotional pain. Her heart suddenly racked with guilt but this was the right thing to do. It wouldn't be safe if they stayed in their presence any longer.

"Only until the end of spring," Tomoe spoke but it wasn't only to Rin, it was to Sesshomaru as well. It was a subtle promise that they will return and be blessed with each other's presence once more…


	22. Chapter 22

It had been a week since their departure from the rest of the pack and everything was different. Tomoe was so used to walking beside the dog demon, feel his occasional glance on her figure, hear his soft footsteps in the snow, even attempt to strike up a conversation when Rin and Jaken were far enough to not be able to hear. Yes, it was still quiet most of the time but it wasn't the same. At least Rin didn't seem to notice these subtle changes.

"Tomoe! Tomoe!" Rin's cheery voice rang through the trees and bounced to Tomoe's twitching ears, bringing the fox from her thoughts. "Look, look!" Stepping off the path they had been following, Tomoe entered a small meadow Rin was standing in and was by her side within seconds.

Tomoe didn't have to ask what it was she was so excited about when Rin pointed, a smile still plastered on her face. Gazing downward, Tomoe smiled upon seeing a butterfly; but perhaps it's black and purple wings was not what captured Rin interest, perhaps it was the size. It was large. Larger than Tomoe's hand when it extended its wings.

"Isn't it beautiful, Tomoe?" Rin sighed in awe as it flew just above her head but out of reach.

"Yes. I have never seen such a brilliant shade of purple," Tomoe smiled down to Rin and watched as she gawked at the butterfly. Then she looked towards the butterfly, watched as it danced higher in the air before resting on her nose.

Rin was laughing but Tomoe could not find the same humor as she stared at this magnificent creature. It did not move upon her nose or smelled her face with its antennas, instead, it just stared straight into the eyes of the fox. Then small flashes of black and white appeared with a gleeful laughter in the background belonging to a male. Another flash and she could see a pale face. Eyes a Godly mix of purple and grey, hair as white as fresh snow, and teeth as sharp as knives.

Tomoe does not remember anything before the villagers found her and took her in. She only assumed she was abandoned. But seeing this creature now, seeing it stare so intensely at her as if it wasn't to say so much but was unable to, she couldn't help but question her recurring nightmare. And before she knew it, she was speaking to the butterfly, "Penn? Is that you? Are you real?"

Receiving no answer as expected, Tomoe watched in awe as the butterfly took lift off from her nose and into the air, it watched her for a minute before turning and flying away.

Rin giggled, "It landed on your nose, Tomoe."

Tomoe smiled down at the girl, genuinely happy as she took a hold of her hand, "Let's go follow it. This is an adventure after all."

"Yeah! Let's go!"

Sesshomaru could be seen as a creature mourning over a loss.

He was angry beyond belief the first few days, went on pointless rampages, killed a third of an entire village, and before he knew it he had become the creature Tomoe hates the most. Upon realizing this he stopped immediately and cleaned himself up, but now he was sulking in the very cave she left him in.

He could blame the season as Jaken does, but no othertime has Sesshomaru felt such strong emotions towards another being before. When they touched it left sparks flying, when he saw her smile it left his mind blank, when she wasn't by his side he felt an undying yearning to hold her in his arms, when he placed his lips onto hers he left as though her lips were meant to hold his, when she seemed to be anything less than happy his heart ached.

She was the only one who made him feel this way but because of his emotions and the season clashing together in a battle over true love and a one night stand, he had drove her away and is left hoping she will return to the warm embrace of him arms safely.

Entering the cave, Jaken sighed upon seeing his lord laying on the floor, facing away from the entrance. He walked around the demon to see his face and sat in front of him before speaking, "You know, My Lord, there are plenty of other girls out there wishing to court you. How about we come out of hiding and choose one… or five?"

"No, Jaken." Sesshomaru didn't bother with opening his eyes, didn't bother with turning around either. He was too busy doing nothing.

"But, surely you aren't going to wallow in here until they come back, right?" Sesshomaru wasn't the same when they left. He doesn't snap at Jaken or try to make himself eat.

"That's exactly what I'm going to do."

"But why My Lord? What is so special about the fox and the girl that you cannot stand to live without?"

"It is none of your concern, Jaken."

"Oh, I beg to differ My Lord. You have never been the type to protect another but what the fox and the girl were not in your sights you were panicked."

"Watch yourself, Jaken," Sesshomaru growled.

"Don't think I didn't notice you glancing at her every time she looked the other way or how you pummeled me into the ground when I spoke of the season in front of her. So, as your trusted servant, I demand that you tell me why you are sulking because of their disappearance-!"

"Because I am in love with the human fox named Tomoe!"

"Then go after her, My Lord! If it is meant to be then go after her!"

Standing, Sesshomaru held Jaken by the neck and squeezed tight. Watching as the lower class demon squirmed, Sesshomaru glared, "I should chop off that tongue of yours Jaken." He watched as Jaken's eyes widened, but then the dog demon smirked, "But I thank you, instead." He let him drop to the ground before walking out of the cave and walking in the direction Tomoe and Rin went. It had been days and their scent had washed away but he felt the strong ache in his heart to have the near pull him towards his most prised possession.


	23. Chapter 23

To Ningen Kitsunes, the butterfly is a symbol of change, joy and color. The exquisite butterfly was considered a miracle of transformation, resurrection, and was thought to be the spirit of the dead.

It wasn't surprising Tomoe would want to follow the butterfly after it revealed itself to be Penn - a Ningen Kitsune she thought only lived in her dreams. It was apart of her instinct to trust, respect, and cherish its beauty. Some would even consider them to be lower class gods.

As the sun was starting to set, Rin was being carried on Tomoe's back, having gotten tired a few miles back, but Tomoe refused to stop. She had to know where Penn was taking them since nothing in the area seemed to create a spark in her memory, which led her to question how she forgot in the first place. Was Penn's death and the whole tribe in flames too traumatic for her? Did her mind believe the memory was too much for the young fox to handle? Did she hit her head as well from the fall down? And how did she get to the edge of the human village? Did someone carry her to safety after she lost consciousness? Plus, what started the fire in the first place? What would her life been like if that never happened? Would she have met Rin? Would she have met Sesshomaru?

She had so many questions that had yet to be answered and she only hoped that Penn would enlighten her, help her remember and fill in the blanks. But until then, perhaps this was the perfect time to teach Rin what she should've taught her so long ago.

"Rin?"

"Yes, Tomoe?"

"Have I ever told you about the Goddess Juvia?"

"No. Are you going to tell me a story?"

"Not quite, my dear. Juvia is as real as you and I. She is the Goddess of water and rules with her sister who protects all aquatic life named Aquarius. Would you like to hear the story?"

"Yes, please."

"Well one day, a long time ago, Juvia was summoning the rain to replenish a dried connell. The summer was too hot that season and had dried up the connell and with it the waterfall. Without the waterfall, Juvia's sister Aquarius could not guide the sashimi fish home. But as Juvia was summoning the rain, it started to snow and before long was little water was in the connell had turned to ice. The winter prince Grey had arrived and had froze all of the water in sight. Can you tell me why he did such a thing Rin?"

"Because the sashimi fish only migrate in spring?"

"That's correct. If Juvia had helped her sister Aquarius guide the fish to their home river to breed, they would've all died. Prince Grey was only watching out for them, but because the river was dry throughout spring the fish died anyway. Do you know why I'm telling you this, Rin?"

"The fish's' death wasn't stoppable?"

"Correct again, Rin. What I'm trying to teach you is that we cannot always prevent something from happening so we have to come to accept it and learn from it as best we can. In simplest terms, life is going to be unfair at times and you're going to want to cry and be angry with the world but it's better to let something go than to hold on too tight."

"Can you tell me another story, Tomoe? Another one about the Gods."

"Any in particular you would like to hear?"

"Well, you're always praying before and after a meal so I want to know who your thoughts go to."

Tomoe smiled, "It depends my dear. When I have to kill a fish for food, I pray to Aquarius in my most sincere apology. When I have to kill a bird, I pray to Fuji the God of air and wind. There are different gods that protect different things in this world. It is only natural for a fox to be so in touch with nature."

"And what about fire? Who is the god of fire?"

Tomoe grew stiff just at the mention of the object. "Why do you ask?"

"I always notice you're so stiff around fire and tend to not want to be near it. I would just like to know why."

"Well, would you like to hear my story or the God's? Both are similar in a way."

"Whichever is most exciting."

"Okay, let's see. If I'm not mistaken, the God of fire wasn't a God to begin with."

"He wasn't?"

"No. He was more of a monster in men's eyes. He had horns sprouting from his head as well as wings on his back. He was half human and half dragon, a Ningen Doragon named Natsu. The only one of his kind."

"Woah, could he breathe fire?"

"Not only that but he could make any part of his body into fire. He never used his power fire evil though, actually, he rarely used his power at all."

"Then, how could be be the God of fire if he barely used it?"

"Well, when Natsu was traveling he found a human girl and quickly fell in love with her just as she did with him. To the human, he was no monster but a lonely boy and they spent all their time together. But then the village the girl was from thought that her disappearance was because Natsu kidnapped her and was holding her against her will. Over many months the villagers set out to find the women unknowing that she and the dragon lived together in harmony and when they found them the villagers didn't wait for an explanation and just attacked Natsu and the women. Natsu's natural instinct was to fight back and that's exactly what he did though he didn't use his fire against the humans. That was until the human girl he loved so much shielded him from an arro. Her death is what drought Natsu to fully expand his dragon side and kill all of the humans in sight. From that point on, fire was cursed with the welcoming warmth of their love but the deadly destruction of her fatal end."

Rin was silent, trying to absorb the sad story. Then, "You said you had a similar story. Did you fall in love with a human, Tomoe? Were they taken away just like in the story?"

Tomoe sighed, "Not quite, my dear. I was in love with a fox but the rest of the story is the same. Humans came, burned down our den, and he was killed protecting me. I vowed not to have another mate in fear something like that would happen again."

"But…" Rin hesitated, thinking if this was a good question to ask before she made up her mind and asked it anyway, "Lord Sesshomaru would never leave you, Tomoe."

"What makes you so sure?" Tomoe chuckled.

"He didn't want us to leave, right? So he must miss us right now. So much so he's following us, trying to find us and be with us once again."

Tomoe snorted, "If that was the case, the moment I see him without expecting his appearance, I shall bestow a kiss upon his lips."

"Ew," Rin giggled, "Why would you do that?"

"Because seeing him on our journey is quite unlikely. He has probably surrounded by women to satisfy himself the moment we left."

"Why?"

"Well, to-" she cut herself off, reorganizing her thoughts. Rin was too young to know such things. Starting again, Tomoe chuckled, "Just to make more friends. Even demons need to work on their social skills."

Rin's giggled grew quiet after a moment, then she sighed, "Tomoe, can you tell me the story of the God of love?"

"Alright. The God of love was actually a Goddess named Levy. She was a beautiful fairy that held no crown on her head but held herself as if she were royalty. She was fair to all that approach her, smiled to anyone who looked at her, and walked with such grace it was as if she floated above the ground instead of walked. For a living, Levy gave out new hearts to people whose own heart was broken but with every heart that she gave she would lose parts of her own since all of those new hearts were made from hers. Then one day, when she was sold out of hearts for the day she went to her partner's Heartsmith shop where they created the hearts. His name was Gajeel and was quite hard headed. Day in and day out he was both a Swordsmith and a Heartsmith, being whatever the economy demanded. When Levy entered the shop, she collapsed on the spot from losing so much of her own heart in one was quick to make her a new heart with whatever spare parts he had laying around but it didn't fit. But then he had the brilliant idea to connect their hearts together. A heart made out his steal and her love was created and when she awoke they found a new love for each other and never stopped that strong love. From then on, they wanted to keep expanded love to everyone around and so they did."

"I like that story," Rin sighed.

"Me as well. Why do you ask about love, Rin?"

"So I can pray to the correct Goddess to help me get you and Sesshomaru a love as strong as Levy and Gajeel's."


	24. Chapter 24

It was nightfall and Tomoe continued following the butterfly while Rin slept on her back after hearing countless more stories about the Gods and Goddesses. After telling so many tales, Tomoe was slightly surprised that she hadn't realized something about them sooner. They all involved a type of love. Someone ended up dying, getting sick, or cursed. She only hoped that Rin didn't think that the only way for her to achieve true greatness was to lose someone dear to her.

As she walked, her tail swayed in the gentle breeze, her ears twitched at every little sound the resting forest made - even when the butterfly's pattern of flight was disturbed before it was pick up again. It was very peaceful to say the least, but at the same time slightly troubling. The scents around her were familiar yet unfamiliar as the same time; like, she's definitely smelt it before but couldn't recall where or when. Same with the sights. She recognized a few landmarks on the ground but hadn't had a clue how since she's never been this far west. Yet, wherever Penn was leading her, she knew she was getting close. It was just a matter of time.

Her ears twitched as something snapped behind her and she was quick to turn around to scout out the potential threat, but nothing was there. Holding her nose high in the air, Tomoe breathed in and quickly found nothing worthy to hold a threatening title, but it still worried her as she turned around and continued walking.

While they were traveling with Sesshomaru and had heard a suspicious noise similar to this one, Tomoe would pick up Rin with Jaken standing in front of them with his staff ready for a fight while Sesshomaru scouted out the area. At those false alarms, Tomoe had never felt so safe any other time in her life, but because of that she has gotten use to relying on the dog demon to protect her. Right now, she couldn't help but wonder what would've happened if it actually was a threat. Would she have abandoned Penn in hopes of being able to outrun the creature or would she have stayed and tried to fight with the risk of Rin getting hurt?

It was an easier time when she first met Rin. She knew the forest, knew that nothing was in it that posed as a threat and just lived with Rin in pease. But know, as she wondered in familiar yet unfamiliar territory, she couldn't help but wish Sesshomaru and Jaken where here. She always felt safe around them and she never realized just how much she relied on them to protect her and Rin until now.

To say the least, she missed them. She missed watching Rin play with Jaken, missed feeling the occasional glance from Sesshomaru, missed his curious manner towards her. She missed walking beside him, she missed feeling the electricity when they touched, she missed his over protectiveness and his thoughtful gestures without a reason. She missed waking up in his warm comforting arms and all of their small conversations. To say the least, she missed Sesshomaru.

She had already forgiven him, yet she still walks, and she's beginning to wonder if being his mate wouldn't be such a terrible thing as she first thought. He wasn't like other males Tomoe had the misfortune to meet. He didn't try to kill Rin to get to Tomoe, in fact he did just the opposite. He revived the young girl and protected her as if she were his own. He also didn't bring up any topic of mating with the fox until his urges took ahold of him. He fought hard to protect Tomoe without reason where as other males would've let her die if they did not mate before the unfortunate event.

Sesshomaru was kind in his actions, honest in his words, and protective towards her and Rin. He was exactly what she had been looking for without even realizing it; and now she just hoped he hadn't mated with another woman in her absence.

Blinking out of her daze when Penn landed upon her nose, Tomoe looked around to see the sun was halfway over the horizon, making the sky a mixture of gold and light blue, but as soon as her gaze left the sky she was left in another daze. Before her were large Redwood trees holding what remained of card huts and broken bridges, and below the entire thing what a field of tall green grass.

Her mind immediately made the connection with the familiar scene was the one in her dreams and tears instantly sprung to her eyes as Penn danced into the air and landed on a flower in the field, watching her as she hesitantly dragged her feet forward.

What was in front of her was all that remains of the Ningen Kitsune Tribe.

Penn had brought her home.

Wiping the tears that trailed down her cheeks, Tomoe cleared her throat before speaking, "Wake up, Rin. We've reached our destination."

On demand, Rin groggily awoke to Tomoe's soft voice. She rubbed her eyes and yawned before taking in her surroundings. She gaped in wonder as her eyes landed on a carded hut in a tree. "Where are we Tomoe?"

"This is where I grew up, where I learned all about the wonders of the world and the Gods that created the earth." She set her down and lead the way. A familiar warm feeling setting in her heart as her legs lead her to a specific spot by muscle memory. A smile never falling from her face as Rin raced to catch up, smiling as well from just seeing Tomoe happy. She could tell this place was very important to her guardian, very meaningful and special.

Stopping under a tree, Tomoe glanced up with an unfaltering smile as her gaze landed on just the skeleton of a hut. She waited for Rin to be by her side before taking her hand and pointing to her find. "You see that up there, Rin? That used to be my home when I was at small as you. Mother and Father used to live there with me and across the bridge was my best friend Penn." Tomoe pointed to the other tree and directly across from Tomoe's hut was another that was more intact but without a roof. "We used to get into so much trouble together," Tomoe sighed as the newly restored memories of her and Penn playing Hide-and-Seek in the wheat field below, and pranking some of the other Ningen Kitsune children from time to time.

Rin looked around as Tomoe was lost in thought, she examined how everything looked blackened and broken, and how no one seemed to be living here since a really long time ago. She couldn't help herself when she looked back to Tomoe, "What happened here, Tomoe? Where did everyone go?" It was obvious it was heavily populated at one point in time with all of the huts.

Tomoe sighed again, this time with a hint of sadness but the smile still graced her face. "A long time ago there was a fire. I don't know who survived other than I, but I'm just happy I finally was able to find it. I've been having dreams of this place for a very long time, Rin. I'm more than pleased."

Hugging her leg, Rin smiled up at her, "I'm happy for you, Tomoe."

Patting her head, Tomoe smiled back before picking her up, "Come on, let's go explore."

"Alright," she giggled back and before she knew it, Tomoe jumped so high into the air they landed on one of the many platforms built into the trees.

Keeping a hold on Rin as she rode on her back, Tomoe laughed as she jumped from one tree branch to another, watching the memories as they resurfaced in her mind of chasing Penn up and down the trees. They stopped at every hut, walking through the tiny homes, scavenging for anything Rin would take a liking too. Even found a bit of gold before hopping to the next platform. Both giggling and having fun, Tomoe stopped just outside of the once magnificent library; but before Rin could take notice of her hesitation, she continued through the tall broken double doors. Upon seeing the whole inside of the library totally cared without a single ounce of the magic it once held, Tomoe kept her smile despite her sudden feeling of sorrow.

"This was where the fire started," Tomoe said, her voice cracking slightly but her smile never wavered. Rin was speechless as she looked the blackened room. She had never seen a space like this one. It was so huge and full of light despite the blackened walls, she couldn't help but gape in awe.

Jumping onto a high floor, Tomoe walked through the rows of broken shelves and instantly broke into an even bigger grin as her gaze landed upon the place where she would read to Penn and found the beautiful purple and black butterfly dancing in the air. She and Rin watched as it landed on the windowsill before a blinding white light erupted from its wings and transformed into a figure all to familiar to Tomoe. Now sitting on the windowsill was Penn himself. His entire being was translucent but it was him, in all of his mighty glory was Tomoe's long forgotten but cherished friend.

Putting Rin down, Tomoe stood in front of her as the girl hid behind her leg. She hesitated, wondering if Penn would pose as a threat but as soon as he smiled, she knew he was the same old fox she knew in her dreams and refreshed memories.

"I've been waiting for a very long time, Tomoe, you could at least give me a hug," Penn chuckled and Tomoe couldn't help herself from running at him and wrapping her arms around him. He was cold and barely solid, but his arms felt just as real as the last day they spent together when they tightly wrapped around her as well.

"I'm sorry for keeping you," Tomoe sniffed, trying to hold in tears as she bared her face into his shoulder.

Chuckling, Penn pushed Tomoe back by her shoulders and smiled at her, "No need for the waterworks, my dear." His gaze shot to Rin before smiling wider to Tomoe. "And who might this be?"

Turning around, Tomoe smiled upon seeing Rin stand there with her arms crossed behind her back as she looked up to Tomoe and Penn. Walking towards the small girl Tomoe stood behind her and patted her back, "This is my daughter, Rin. Rin, this is Penn. He was my by best friend when I was your hight."

Rin held on to Tomoe's leg as Penn slowly approached the girl and kneeled before her and Tomoe, he smiled, "Well, aren't you a pretty girl, Rin. You're very lucky to have a Mommy like Tomoe."

Rin smiled at the compliment, then giggled, "She saved me from the bad people and protects me from monsters. She even sings me to sleep and holds me when I have bad dreams. I love Tomoe," Rin smiled and Tomoe smiled down at the girl, happy that she thought so highly of her.

"So then, that must also mean you have a Daddy, right?"

Before Tomoe could interfere, Rin looked at Penn in confusion then up to Tomoe, "Does he mean Load Sesshomaru?"

"Lord Sesshomaru, huh?" Penn chuckled and watched as Tomoe's once composed face started to turn red. She took a breath to say something when Penn just chuckled as he stood, "You seem happy Tomoe, so I won't question it any further. But if this Sesshomaru guy breaks your heart, I'll come back and break his neck."

Tomoe chuckled as she picked up Rin, "I have no doubt that you will. You always were that way when we were younger."

Penn smiled, then looked around, "Where is this Sesshomaru anyway? Upon first finding you, I couldn't find anyone else traveling with you. Don't tell me you left him already."

"No, no," Tomoe laughed, "Rin and I… we just need to have a little time alone together."

"I see, then I'm sorry for intruding."

"Oh, don't say that Penn. It was wonderful seeing you and this place again. I thought it was all just a dream for the longest time."

"Sadly not, my dear."

"Did… Did you ever find out who did it?" Tomoe asked as she held Rin closer. Not wanting her to hear but wanting to know the answer at the same time.

Penn didn't have to say anything as he glanced to Rin and they shot an apologetic look to Tomoe, and she instantly understood. It was the humans.

Sighing, Tomoe turned around and started to walk away when Penn appeared by her side. He said, "I'm sorry Tomoe."

"It wasn't your fault, Penn. There's no reason to apologize." She walked around him but he quickly followed behind.

"But you're leaving."

"I must."

"Why?" He grabbed her by her shoulders and looked into her green eyes. "You just got here. Please. Stay."

"Because," Tomoe smiled, "It's the end of the worst weeks of spring."

Without further explanation Penn let go her and walked beside her as she went out. Now, on the forest floor once again Penn placed a kiss on Tomoe's forehead, making her smile.

"Whenever you need me, just call and I'll be there as fast as lightning."

"Thank you Penn. For everything." She looked down to Rin and smiled, "Say good bye, Rin. It might be awhile before we see him again so let's leave with a happy departure."

She smiled up at him, "Good bye."

"Alright," Tomoe smiled and pushed Rin gently behind her, leading her into the direction they came from. "Let's go-"

" _If only the devil herself come by, we'd run her such a race!"_

Tomoe froze upon hearing the long forgotten toon to her calling song but much to her displeasure it still had the same effect. It still froze her in her spite, still shocked the breath from her lunges, and still made her yeirn to run towards them.

"Tomoe? Is everything alright?" Penn's voice was laced with worry as he placed a hand ghostly on her slightly shaking shoulder.

Rin gasped upon remembering her chant, "It's the song. Someone's summoning Tomoe."

Knowing that this place is what the humans despised the most she wouldn't have been surprised if she tripped a warning the humans set up just for her. She didn't realize the danger until now.

Pushing Rin toward Penn she held his hand and in a pleasing tone said: "Please deliver her to Sesshomaru's and tell him where to fine me, but most of all, make sure she's safe."

"I will."

"Thank you." She kneeled before Rin and Penn held her back from throughout herself at Tomoe, "I have to go, my dear-"

"No-!"

"But you'll be safe with Penn. Just don't leave his side, he'll take you to Sesshomaru."

"What are you planning, Tomoe?" Penn's tone was worried like an older brother's would be whenever their little sister maybe in danger.

She stood and looked to Penn, all seriousness in her newly icy glare, "I'm going to put an end to this senseless war between Ningen Kitsunes and humans."


	25. Chapter 25

Running away from Rin was just about the hardest thing Tomoe has done in a long time. She could hear the little girl screaming for her to come back, pleading her to stay by her side while Penn held her back. It just about broke her heart that she may leave Rin motherless by the end of this endeavor - that she hadn't had a clue how it was going to end.

She didn't have a plan on how she was going to confront the humans once she graces them with her presence or what she will do if they try to attack right off the bat. There were so many possible outcomes it was hard to think straight, but one thing was for sure, Tomoe had to point out that not all Ningen Kitsunes are bad and should stop being hunted. If there were any left, that is…

Rin refused to leave Tomoe despite having lost sight of her the moment she turned away. Tomoe has always been there since the second she showed up in Rin's life. She was always there to sing her to sleep, always there to hold her during thunder storms, always there to protect her and make her feel safe. Tomoe was always there and separating now because of a situation Rin did not fully understand was so much more than terrifying. She wanted the fox to hold her tightly and whisper how everything was going to be alright in her ears, but she vanished within seconds.

"Tomoe!" Rin screamed, struggling against Penn's ghostly hold but could not break through.

"Calm down child or you'll summon creatures far worst than hunters," Penn demanded as he pulled Rin to his chest and started walking in the opposite direction of where Rin desperately want to go.

"No!" Rin kicked, flailing her arms to escape, "Let me go! Put me down! TOMOE! COME BACK!"

Placing a hand over her screaming lips Penn ceased all noises and moments the girl made in a matter of seconds, "You must be calm, child. Your mother will have a safe return but only if we retrieve Lord Sesshomaru. The sooner we do so, the sooner you will be back in her warm embrace, understood?"

Tears still streaming down her face, Rin nodded and took a deep breath as Penn removed his hand and set her down. Her occasional hiccup didn't go unnoticed by the spirit and he sighed as she knelt before her and wiped away her tears.

"I can't even begin to imagine how you must feel right now, Rin, but Tomoe needs us to retrieve Lord Sesshomaru as soon as we possibly can. Her life is depending on it."

"But Tomoe-"

"Will be alright. I promise." Penn chuckled as he stood, "Do you not have any faith in your mother's abilities?"

Rin gasped, "Of cause I have faith in Tomoe!"

"Then let's leave her for now, and do as we promised her we would," Penn smiled down at Rin and Rin started up at him before smiling. "Just follow me and I'll lead the way," Penn said, stepping back from Rin as his skin glowed white - blinding Rin - before the light subsided and she glanced up to see the purple butterfly was back.

She watched as it danced in the air above her head before flying off down the pathway he led them down earlier in the day. She was quick to run after him and keep a close eye on where she was going. They passed by familiar landmarks she recognized from the walk up and the meadow they first found the butterfly in. Tripping over her own two feet Penn danced in the air - waiting for her to get back up - before flying off again with her trailing closely behind.

Feeling that they must be getting close, Rin started yelling, "Lord Sesshomaru!" she panted before started up again, "Lord Sesshomaru, Master Jaken! Please help us! Lord Sesshomaru!"

Tripping over her feet again, Rin gave out a loud scream in surprise but froze in fear when a loud crashing noise appeared behind her. Not a moment latter Penn was in his spirit form, standing in front of Rin, as he held a sharp silver blade in his clapped hands. Standing before him was an angry demon Penn recognized to be a dog. His long locks silver and eyes a glaring gold as he bared his teeth at Penn.

Sensing his strength, Penn knew he wouldn't be able to hold him off for long, but he had promised to protect Rin. Looking behind him, he found the small girl gawking up at the pare as she sat frozen on the forest floor. "What are you doing?!" Penn yelled, "Run!"

But Rin ignored his comment entirely and stared up at the dog demon with so much childish joy it stunned Penn for a moment. Rin giggled before running under Pen's legs and hugging the opponent's waist. "Lord Sesshomaru!"

Dropping his sword, Sesshomaru was quick to pick up the girl and hold her tightly to his chest. He didn't bother with saying anything as he buried his face into her small shoulder while she cried on his. It was obvious they both missed each other immensely, but Penn couldn't seem to get over the fact that this was Sesshomaru. A _dog_ demon of all things.

As they held each other - while Penn stared - a smaller, lower class demon carrying a wooden staff ran from the bushes and took a breath to talk when the air caught in his lunges upon seeing Rin.

"R-Rin!" He choked out.

Rin's head picked up at the familiar voice and she smiled down at him, "Hi Master Jaken."

Setting her down, Sesshomaru knelt before Rin with his hands on her shoulders and only had to say one word, "Tomoe."

Rin's smile disappeared within seconds then she looked up to Penn to explain the situation. Seeing how everyone's eyes were on him now, Penn cleared his thought, "Tomoe's in trouble."

"Trouble?" Sesshomaru stood, standing eye level with Penn as he glared at the spirit.

"She asked for us to retrieve you for help. Even a fox like her won't be able to outsmart all of the humans trying to hunt her down this very minute."

Without needing any more of an explanation, Sesshomaru picked up Rin and started running. Not caring if Jaken and the spirit got left behind. If something were to happen to Tomoe - under his surveillance or not - he would never be able to forgive himself.

As he ran, he looked over to Penn while he floated in the air on his stomach, fazing through trees and boulders as his face was set into nothing else but seriousness. Feeling a teng in his heart, Sesshomaru knew he was dead but he couldn't help but dislike the male's sudden appearance in Tomoe's life. It was obvious she trusted him enough to leave him alone with Rin and to go after Sesshomaru to request help - and she couldn't mate with him because he was nothing more than a spirit - but he couldn't help but question what he was to Tomoe.

Meeting his gaze briefly, Penn chuckled before looking ahead again. "No need to worry, Dog. I'm not here to steal your mate away."

"Then what's your purpose?" Sesshomaru growled under his breath so Rin wouldn't hear and he watched as Penn looked back at him with a hint of surprise in his light purple irises.

"You were actually skeptical? Does that mean you and Tomoe actually haven't joined as one yet?"

Sesshomaru ignored the question.

Penn chuckled again, "No, but you plan on it." He sighed, flipping over on his back as he crossed his arms behind his head, still keeping up with Sesshomaru's speed, "It's as I said, I'm not here to steal Tomoe away from you before you can get to her or anything like that. Just think of me as the annoying friend who thinks nobody is good enough for Tomoe."

"Were you this way when you were alive?" Sesshomaru muttered. If he was this cheeky while he was still alive, Sesshomaru could see why she chose to isolate herself from other beings in fear they would all be like him.

Penn glanced at him, "She really didn't tell you anything did she?"

Sesshomaru stayed quiet, encouraging Penn to continue.

"Fire is the one thing that Tomoe fears the most. It took everything from her throughout the years. It burned down the tribe when she was just a kit. That fire had killed me and nearly everyone in the area. Her mother was one of the survivors and had saved Tomoe from getting hurt any further by taking her to the forest just outside of a human village but she had inhaled so much smoke she ended up dying with Tomoe in her arms when a villager found her and took the young Tomoe in. There, she grew up until she turned hundred then set off on her own. When she found her first mate they stayed together for years until humans burned down her den and killed her mate. She wasn't the same after that and started kidnapping children to replace the once she lost in the fire. Then, years later as she continued to kidnap children she stumbled across Rin and had saved her from men trying to kill the young girl with the very thing she fears."

"Then," Sesshomaru breathed, "She found me."

"That's correct. She was cautious of you at first but I can tell she warmed up to you and your servant along the way. With you around, she is starting to return to her normal self. So, as much as it pains me to say, you have to stay by Tomoe's side no matter what after this. Even if she doesn't agree, never let her go. The only reason why I say this is because I've been keeping watch over her since the moment I died and I've never seen her more happy than when she's with you. I don't know if I should be saying this, but Tomoe… she-"

"I don't want to know," Sesshomaru interrupted, "I want her to tell me when she's ready.

Penn smiled, "I think we'll get along just fine then Sesshomaru, the Dog Demon." And with that, Penn disappeared without a trace, holding no doubt that Sesshomaru will do everything he can to protect Tomoe anyway he can.

Pushing himself harder, Sesshomaru sped forth through the trees, following Tomoe's enchanting scent as well as a hint of fire smoke...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~  
Hey guys, so a little heads up, this story will be ending soon. Like, maybe next chapter... I just wanted to tell you to mentally prepare yourself for the inevitable end. Thank you so much for following me on this adventure and commenting encouraging things to keep me going. You have no idea how stressful this week was with all of my high school finals going on at once and I'm still trying to cram in my studies for even more. I hope you have a lovely rest of your day.


	26. Chapter 26

Something was telling her not to go this way, that danger lay behind every bush and tree, but she couldn't turn back. Not only was it physically impossible because they called her by song, but also because she had to tell them that she was no longer a threat to the humans, that no Ningen Kitsune was since the very beginning.

But as she continued on, the feeling of danger kept growing. While she ran through the human village, not one soul was in sight and Tomoe could only smell women and children hiding in the huts. When she slowed down to investigate, she took one step into a hut and was instantly cut by razor sharp threading wrapped all around the threshold. Upon further examination, she found all of the huts and small alleys in the village were also wrapped with this same type of invisible thread.

Unable to turn back or through the threading, she was trapped…

She resumed running and found the same thread in the forest, wrapping around tree trunk in order for her to stay on the chosen path and right into a trap Tomoe had no doubt they had set up for her. As she neared a river she could smell the nervous sweat of men hiding in trees just up ahead and she prepared herself to dodge any rocks or arrows they may throw at her; but she soon came to the harsh realization that that wasn't the goal. As she ran, she found that the humans residing in the trees were holding thick rope that rested on the forest floor. Leaves and dirt were covering the other end and it was too late to yield when she finally realize just what was hiding under the nature. As soon as she stepped into the center of the trap a human called: "NOW!" and all at once all of the roped were polled and Tomoe was wrapped in a snug net, suspended in the air in a matter of seconds. Her right arm hanging from the bottom of the net as well as her left foot while the rest of her body was covered by the leaves and - upon moving and cutting herself - the same sharp thread.

She couldn't move any part of her body without getting cut and she wasn't going to get down any time soon since the humans seemed to be set on killing her.

"WE CAUGHT HER!" A human cried out in joy, and - mocking Tomoe - all of the men bent their heads back and howled as the clear sky. Their laughter mixing with the call made it sound choppy but it was all the same to Tomoe and she couldn't help herself from throwing her head back and howling with them. Such a strong and prideful cry to the heavens, it made the other humans stop and stare.

Now that she has their full attention, Tomoe spoke, "Cut me loose."

"Like hell we will," one said.

"Not after we tracked your species down for years just for this moment. Our capture of Tomoe, the human fox." another laughed.

"What has my family done to deserve this? The humans and the Ningen Kitsune Tribes lived in harmony before you attacked. We were civile foxes, most of us didn't even like the taste of human flesh or any arrays of meats. We were herbivores."

"And what's your take on human flesh Tomoe?" a man demanded. "Don't expect us to believe anything you say when you have killed countless huntsmen, have kidnapped countless children as well and had eaten them. It's time for the truth!"

"You want to truth? Fine, I'll give you the truth," Tomoe growled then took a deep breath, "Many years ago when I was still a kit a fire broke out in the Ningen Kitsune tribe and burned down every home and devoured the wheat fields. I had never tasted the flesh of a human before or any living things flesh for that matter. I only realized I had a liking towards it when a hunter tried killing me and I attacked. After that I woke up in a pool of blood that wasn't mine."

"So you admit you like our flesh! That you're just another savage animal! We should've killed you the moment we heard Kaede's village took you in!"

Tomoe growled at the man and felt her tail twitch in annoyance but was cut in return. "That was after you killed everyone I cared for! I would most likely still be a herbivore if I didn't have to defend myself and seek food in order not to starve! So don't sit there all high and mighty and thing you're always correct when you killed innocent people in that fire!"

"But you said most were herbivores," a different man said, "There were other man eaters like you. You said so yourself."

"No," Tomoe sighed. "I was the only one who was left with the cannibalistic gene of a red fox. I was the only one in our tribe that wasn't a throw bred. When I said most I was excluding only myself."

"So our ancestors…"

"Killed off an entire species just for one of them to be a man eater," Tomoe finished. "And I will no longer bring you any more harm."

"How can we trust your word? Foxes are known to lie, why shouldn't we just kill you now?"

"Because I am done with this senseless hunt. For months I have gone without human flesh and survived only on fish with my daughter."

Everyone seemed to be in a drowning state of worry as soon as Tomoe brought up the topic of her having a child. Whispers in the crowd erupted almost immediately.

"What if the fox passed down the man eating gene to her child?"

"Who did she mate with, are they man eaters as well?"

"We have no other choice. We can't risk it. They may be dining on fish now by what's stopping them from attacking again in the future when the child gets tired of fish? We have to put an end to this now."

"No," Tomoe panicked, "She isn't like that at all. She is scared of thunder and can't swim! How can you see her as any sort of threat?" Struggling to get free was getting her nothing but deeping wounds as the thread dug into pale flesh.

"If you tell us where you have hidden her, her death will be quick and you will be joining her right after."

"No," Tomoe struggled, "As the only Ningen Kitsune left, I can say with utmost certainty that she and I will not harm humans!"

"It's a risk we can't take, no amount of bargaining will be heard either, so tell us where your child is or else your mate and your child's death will be executed in front of you before your own. Tell us and we shall have mercy."

"NEVER!"

"You heard the fox! Burn her dangling limbs until we get an answer!" the leader of the men demanded and all of the men howled again as one picked up a torch and raised it towards Tomoe's exposed foot.

Her heart was hammering in her chest from the sudden sight of fire and she couldn't catch her breath or stop herself from struggling in the sharp threading. But to her, getting cut a thousand time was much better than being burned alive. Blood dripped from her heel and toes from trying to relate it back in the netting, but the threading had dug deep into flesh and ceased to let her leg free.

Feeling the licking flame on the bottom of her foot, Tomoe creamed even before any pain was forced upon her. Just the thought of any part of her body touching such a destructive light was frightening.

Getting distracted by a loud rumble in the trees, all the men and Tomoe looked that way to see a small child running out of the brush and hitting the leg of the man closest to her. Tomoe gasped in shock at the sight of Rin.

With tears streaming down her face, Rin kept hitting the man's shins, "No! Don't hurt Tomoe! Let her go!"

Recovering from the shock of seeing her most beloved tredger, Tomoe yelled out to Rin, "Bonnabel, run! Run away from here! Their going to kill you!" Tomoe struggled even more and even more blood was shed.

"So this is the fox's runt," a man chuckled, picking Rin up by the collar of her tattered kimono. "Looks like she hasn't grown into her ears, tail, and teeth yet."

"I told you!" Tomoe cried, "She's harmless!"

"What about fifty years from now, when she is taller and has your characteristics? Will she still only crave fish?"

"Yes!" Tomoe cried out, trying to reach to hand out to Rin but she could only move her fingers. "That's because she's-"

"That's because she's my child as well." Tomoe gasped at the familiar voice and looked behind the man holding Rin to see Sesshomaru has appeared with Jaken. Both males holding a deadly glare at the man holding Rin in the air. "And no one messes with a child of mine, nor my mate."

"Lord Sesshomaru!" Rin giggled with glee, all evidence that she was scared before had been wiped from her face the moment to arrived.

Some men stepped back at the mention of his name, "Lord Sesshomaru? As in, the Dog Demon who rules over the West? That Sesshomaru?"

The leader of the group stepped forward, "Do not back down men!We have to prevent any man-eating gene to pass on any further. We must kill them!"

"Yeah!" all the rest cheered as they charged Sesshomaru all at once and the man holding Rin started running away from the action to kill Rin somewhere secluded.

"Quick, Jaken. Cut Tomoe down. I'll take care of things here."

"Yes, Sir!" Tomoe continued her useless struggle in the sharp threading as Jaken ran to the ropes that were wrapped around one tree trunk. With a quick thud of his staff on the dirt, fire erupted from one of the heads and the rope were burned through and through. When Tomoe was on the ground, Jaken rushed to her side to detangle her from the net.

"Be quick Jaken, Rin is going to be killed!"

"Calm down fox. Stop struggling. Don't you realize you're cutting yourself further?"

"But Rin needs me!"

"Then hold still, damn fox, and I will cut the threads."

"Be quick!" Tomoe could hear the threads snapping under the sharp end of Jaken's blade but she couldn't hold still. Her heart was hammering with thoughts of losing Rin, and a growl was non stop as thoughts of what she was going to do to that human were also passing by. She could feel her nails getting longer, her teeth getting sharper with each passing second she wasn't free.

Hearing one last screech of a dying man, Tomoe saw a flash of white before watching Sesshomaru race ahead of her to take down Rin's capture as well, and that's when the last thread was cut. Quickly jumping up and grabbing Jaken, Tomoe sprinted after him. Her heart broke the moment Rin's scream cut through the forest and she ran faster until she came to a cliff.

Seeing no sight of Rin nor Sesshomaru - and only the bloody body of the human - Tomoe's hands ran through her hair and gripped at the roots. She couldn't pick up either one of their scents and Rin's scream had stopped just before she arrived. She was so packed she couldn't think of anything else but how she'll be able to deal with both of their deaths if you are in fact dead.

"Tomoe, look!" Jaken said, pointing down the cliff and towards a river. Leaning over the edge, Tomoe gasped at the sight of Rin and Sesshomaru struggling to stay above the water. She watched as Sesshomaru picked up Rin - his head going under the water - just before he threw Rin a shore. But something was wrong. Sesshomaru couldn't get out of the fast moving water.

"Go to Rin, Jaken. I'll go help Sesshomaru." And without waiting for a reply, Tomoe jumped off the cliff and dove head first into the water. Resurfacing, Tomoe gasped for air as she searched for Sesshomaru but he was nowhere to be seen.

"Sesshomaru!" Tomoe called out. "Sesshomaru!"

"Tomoe! Over there!" Looking back to Jaken as he stood over Rin, she followed to where he was pointing and saw nothing but water. She looked back to Jaken as he spoke again, "He went under!"

Rin coughed up water and cried, "Lord Sesshomaru is stuck on something!"

Turning back around and driving under the water, Tomoe used the strong current to push her towards Sesshomaru as she swam and soon found him floating in the water, unconscious with his right foot stuck in between two rocks. She resurfaced, breathed, then went back under. She grabbed onto Sesshomaru's clothes so that the current wouldn't carry her off while she worked to get his foot free, but it wouldn't budge. She resurfaced, breathed, then went back down under only to grab one of the demon's swords and swing at the smaller rock. She swung again and again until it finally broke and she pulled Sesshomaru to the surface. She gasped for breath as she held him above the water, expecting him to gasp as well but nothing came from the unconscious demon.

Quickly moving to a shallow edge of the river, Tomoe wheezed as she dragged Sesshomaru to shore on his back. With only his shins still in the water, Tomoe collapsed and laid Sesshomaru on the muddy ground. She wheezed, starting at the sky before sitting herself back up and leaned over Sesshomaru. One hand wiping his silver locks from his face while the other kept her from falling on him.

She cupped the side of his cheek, "Sesshomaru?" she lightly patted the same cheek, "Sesshomaru." She was growing panicked, she grabbed his shoulders and shook him, then, with more urgency, "Sesshomaru, wake up." She quickly unclasped his armor and threw it aside then laid her head against his chest, her ears twitched at the sound of his heart and it's steady beat. She retreated and placed a finger under his nose only to feel no breath.

She instantly grew more panicked, his heart was beating - barely - but he wasn't getting any oxygen. He'll die if she doesn't do anything.

"Kiss him, Tomoe!" Rin shouted from across the river. "Don't you remember what you said earlier? Kiss him!"

She turned back to Sesshomaru, still panting - she couldn't think of such things right now. Sesshomaru could die if she dosen't do something soon. But then it clicked as memories from the human village resurfaced. She had watched a man save a women from this type of death by breathing into her mouth.

Quickly tipping Sesshomaru's head back, opening his mouth, and plugging his nose, Tomoe took a deep breath and her lips on his and breathed in. Running out of air, Tomoe retreated to see if he would cough up any water as the women did, but he was motionless. Taking in another deep breath, Tomoe put her lips onto his again and breath out. This time, Sesshomaru coughed and rolled onto his side. Tomoe couldn't help but smile at the sight of Sesshomaru's golden eyes, though they were not on her at the moment.

Once Sesshomaru was flat on his back again and was breathing on his own, Tomoe leaned over him and cupped his face, "D-Don't ever scare me like that again, you hear me Sesshomaru? Not ever again," Tomoe cried, hot salty tears rolling down her cheeks and Sesshomaru couldn't help but gaze up at her in surprise.

She jumped into the water after him.

She saved him from drowning.

She literally breathed the life back into him.

She was worried about losing him…

Reaching up, Sesshomaru wiped her tears, "As long as you never leave my side ever again."

Tomoe hiccuped and crashed her lips on to his briefly before retreated, "I promise, I'll even become your mate, just don't do anything so reckless ever again."

Sesshomaru, stunned by the sudden kiss and her acceptance, sat up and pulled her into a tight hug. She nuzzled against his neck and he nuzzled her temple back. "I promise I'll keep you and Rin safe from anything that may come our way. I promise I'll make you happy and never see another tear shed from your eyes. I promise I'll be anything you want me to be, just say it again. Please Tomoe, say it again."

Looking up at him, Tomoe smiled, "I'll become your mate Sesshomaru. I submit." And with that he pulled her into a kiss. A kiss so passionate, so intimate, neither could believe that the other could be either one of those things; but this was reality, and neither could be happier.

THE END


End file.
